Pau Gasol has admitted that he is surprised by how fit he feels ahead of the new NBA season.

There were doubts over the 33-year-old's fitness before the start of pre-season following procedures on both knees but he insists that he's fully prepared for the start of the new campaign with the Los Angeles Lakers.

"I feel better than what I expected," Gasol told reporters. "I'm really happy with how I feel right now.

"Now it's just a matter of we have a tough start, very demanding, a lot of games in a short period of time to start off. But hey, that's what the NBA is about sometimes and you got to get through it."

Gasol has won two NBA titles with the Lakers.