(FIBA) – Spanish basketball icon and Los Angeles Lakers’ Pau Gasol was honored as the 2009 Sportsman of the Year at the fifth annual L.A. Sports Awards on Tuesday night.

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The MVP of the 2006 FIBA World Championship in Japan and at last year’s EuroBasket in Poland after leading Spain to gold medals, the 29-year-old Gasol will follow in the footsteps of Team USA’s Kobe Bryant, the recipient of the 2008 award.

Bryant and Gasol led the Los Angeles Lakers to the 2009 NBA championship last season.

The Sportsman of the Year award is given by the Los Angeles Sports Council and honors “the local male athlete whose performance and character best exemplified the ideals of sportsmanship during the calendar year.”

The ceremony takes place at the JW Marriott at L.A. Live.

Gasol, who also played in the 2008 NBA Finals when the Lakers fell to Boston, signed a three-year contract extension worth 57million US dollars before Christmas.

Spain are hoping that their famous seven-footer will represent the country later this year when they defend their title at the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey.

The Spanish are in Group D in Izmir and will go up against France, Canada, New Zealand, Lebanon and Lithuania.

See the original article at FIBA.com