At first, the move from his home city was “more emotional than I expected,” says Gasol, who quickly fell in love with Girona, its people and its culture. Coming from bustling Barcelona, Gasol liked the change of pace. The food is good and the city is packed with Medieval history, with cobblestone streets lining the rivers running through its center. (Game of Thrones shot parts of its sixth season there.) In his debut season, Gasol helped the team finish fifth in the league and it won the ULEB Cup, a continental tournament now known as the EuroCup, in one of the biggest sports moments in the city’s history. In his second year, Gasol averaged 16.6 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.8 blocks, making 65.2 percent of his shots and winning Liga ACB player of the week 11 times. CB Girona again reached the EuroCup finals (but lost) and placed seventh in the league, and Gasol claimed the Liga ACB’s MVP award, beating out the likes of Ricky Rubio and Rudy Fernandez.