All-star NBA power forward/center Pau Gasol was named MVP of which FIBA World Cup?

Pau Gasol was named MVP of the 2006 FIBA World Championship, the tournament now commonly known as the 2006 FIBA Basketball World Cup. Gasol represented Spain and became the first Spanish player to receive the competition's MVP award.

The tournament was held in Japan from August 19 to September 3, 2006, with 24 national teams competing. Spain reached the final against Greece and won 70–47, securing the country's first gold medal in the men's FIBA World Championship.

Gasol missed the final after suffering an injury in Spain's semifinal victory over Argentina, but his performances across the tournament had already established him as the team's leading star. Spain won all nine of its games, and Gasol's interior scoring, rebounding, and defense were central to that unbeaten run.

The wording can cause a minor historical mix-up: FIBA renamed the competition the World Cup beginning with the 2014 edition. Thus, “2006 FIBA World Championship” is the official contemporary name and the precise canonical answer to this question.