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Gasol brothers wins Princess of Asturias award for 'Sports'

Xinhua, June 3, 2015 Adjust font size:

Spanish basketball stars, the brothers Pau and Marc Gasol were on Wednesday named as the winner of the prestigious 2015 Princess of Asturias Award for Sports.

It is the second time the pair have won the award as they formed part of the Spanish National Basketball side which won the 2006 Prinxe of Asturias prize after Spain won that year's World Championships.

The award comes after a season in which they became the first brothers ever to play in the NBA All Star Game and they even jumped against each other at the initial tip-off.

The 30-year-old Marc joined the Memphis Grizzlies in 2008 and has played for the same club ever since, while Pau, who initially joined the Grizzlies in 2001 has enjoyed a long career which has seen him pass through the LA Lakers and the Chicago Bulls.

Both also played key roles in the triumphs of the Spain national basketball side and as well as the 2006 World title, they have Olympic Silver medals from 2008 and 2012, as well as European awards.

As well as their sporting success, the jury also recognized the work of the Gasol Foundation which they established two years ago to help promote healthy eating and physical activity among schoolchildren.

The Princess of Asturias Awards, which aim to reward: "the scientific, technical, cultural, social and humanitarian work carried out at an international level by individuals, institutions or groups of individuals or institutions," are the most prestigious in Spain.

The winners receive a certificate, a 50,000 euro cash prize (around 55,000 U.S. dollars) and a statue by artist Joan Miro, which are presented in a glamorous awards ceremony in the city of Oviedo in October.

They are given in eight different categories: Arts, Social Sciences, Sport, Concord, Literature, International Cooperation, Technical and Scientific Research and Communications and Humanities. Endit