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Chicago Bulls Star Pau Gasol Rejects Deep Dish Pizza

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The Spain native and basketball star calls it "a cake of melted cheese."

Pau Gasol
Pau Gasol
Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Chicago Bulls star Pau Gasol isn't known for his defense on the basketball court, and the center didn't say anything to defend Chicago deep-dish pizza. The sweet-shooting Spaniard has joined the team of deep-dish pizza haters, and revealed his affiliation in an interview with GQ.

"I've tried it. I'm not a fan of this deep dish pizza. To me, it's just a cake of melted cheese. I like the thin-crusted pizzas better," Gasol told GQ.

Gasol, an international superstar who powered Spain to a gold medal in this summer's EuroBasket tournament, has traveled around the world. He arrived in Chicago last season after winning NBA titles for the Los Angeles Lakers and starting his NBA career in Memphis. Gasol also shared thoughts on his favorite foods in the GQ interview, saying that he's a big fan of "Chef's Table" on Netflix. He even mentioned the Spanish custom of eating late night, saying that in some cities it's hard to find good food late. That's no problem in Chicago, as Gasol's obviously read Eater Chicago's rundown on late-night eats.

USA Today even chimed in and agreed with Gasol's assessment, once more voicing their sports writers' supposed expertise on Chicago food. But a few Chicago fans have turned on Gasol via social media. Here's one such reaction:

Maybe Gasol and USA Today's staff should hang out with Anthony Bourdain and Jon Stewart to discuss their disdain. One thing is clear: Next time Gasol doesn't shuffle his feet on defense, there's no blaming deep-dish pizza for weighing him down.

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