National Basketball Association

Gasol to miss basketball worlds

Published Jun. 1, 2010 1:28 p.m. ET

foxsports

NBA All-Star center Pau Gasol says he will not help Spain defend its title at the world basketball championship because doctors say he needs a rest.

Gasol, preparing for the NBA finals with the Los Angeles Lakers, says "present circumstances advise against my participation" in the championship in Turkey from Aug. 29-Sept. 12.

In a statement on his website on Tuesday, Gasol says that in a grueling NBA season in which he's sustained the first two major muscle injuries of his career, "my body is calling for a temporary relief."

Gasol helped Spain win its first world title four years ago in Japan.

This year, the side is in Group D alongside France, New Zealand, Lithuania, Lebanon and Canada.