Pau Gasol and Sue Bird Discuss the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup and Growing the Women's Global Game

About this episode

Sue Bird interviews Pau Gasol about the upcoming 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup and his experiences in international basketball.

**NOTE: We recorded before it was announced that A’ja Wilson and Kelsey Plum will miss the World Cup due to health reasons.** This week on Bird’s Eye View, Sue Bird welcomes 2x NBA champion and FIBA icon Pau Gasol to kick off the start of the 2026 Women’s World Cup in Berlin, Germany. Pau played in the NBA for 18 years, most notably with the Los Angeles Lakers and Memphis Grizzlies, and is one of the most successful basketball players in Spain’s history. In 2006, he helped lead Spain to its first FIBA World Cup title and won MVP along the way. Since his retirement, Pau has been deeply committed to growing the women's global game. Pau talks about his favorite FIBA World Cup memories, Spain’s rising stars Awa Fam and Iyana Martin, and what it’s like to be battle-tested by the USA’s national team. Sue and Pau also dive into what makes a World Cup one of the most challenging tournaments to play in and what it means to represent their countries at such a high level of international competition. In “Sue’s View,” Sue explains how she put together this year’s Team USA roster and which countries pose the biggest threat to Team USA bringing home its fifth consecutive gold medal. Bird’s Eye…

People in this episode

Host: Sue Bird

Guest: Pau Gasol

Topics covered

• FIBA Women's World Cup
• international basketball
• Team USA
• Pau Gasol
• Spain basketball
• women's sports

Keywords

• Pau Gasol
• 2026 FIBA Women's World Cup
• Team USA
• Spain
• basketball
• A’ja Wilson
• Kelsey Plum
• international competition

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Team USA

Places: Spain, Berlin, Germany

More episodes of Bird's Eye View with Sue Bird

• Bridget Carleton on the Fire’s First Season, Her Rollercoaster Rookie Year, and Matchups against Sue · August 28, 2026 · 54 min
• Honoring Diana Taurasi’s Legacy and Navigating the WNBA’s Growing Pains with Ramona Shelburne · August 21, 2026 · 53 min
• Dominique Malonga on Growing Up with Wemby and Building Chemistry with Awa Fam & Flau’jae Johnson · August 14, 2026 · 47 min
• Courtney Vandersloot’s Not Done: Her Return to the Court, State of the Sky, and Chasing Sue’s Record · July 31, 2026 · 1h 4m
• Paige Bueckers on Battling Injury with Grace, Playing with Azzi in the W, and the Wings’ Ascension · July 24, 2026 · 1h 13m
• Jordin Canada on Developing her Playmaking and Finding the Perfect Fit with the Atlanta Dream · July 17, 2026 · 1h 6m