In another sign that suggests he may be fully healthy for the beginning of the season, Lakers forward Pau Gasol spent Labor Day weekend playing on the basketball court for the first time since the team’s first-round loss last April to the San Antonio Spurs.

“After this morning work, this evening I will get back to the basketball court wearing these!” Gasol wrote on his Instagram account, which featured a photo of his shoes.

It’s unclear what basketball drills Gasol completed, but the step marks another level of progress surrounding the rehab around his knees. He had played with a variety of ailments that kept him sidelined last season for 33 games, including knee tendonosis, plantar fascia in his right foot and a concussion.

It appears, however, that Gasol’s progress hasn’t gone as fast as anticipated. When he had a procedure May 7 on his knees, the Lakers estimated Gasol would return to basketball-related activities with 12 weeks. According to that timetable, Gasol would’ve began those drills around around July 30. It’s unclear if Gasol’s trip to Iraq as a UNICEF ambassador delayed his progress, if the rehab went longer than expected or if the Lakers forward simply took more time needed to recover since training camp starts Sept. 27.

Gasol has spent recent weeks mostly rehabbing through weight training (as shown in the video above), swimming and riding a stationary bike. He had also progressed last week by running on grass, an exercise that presumably went well considering Gasol has since worked out on the hardwood.

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Follow L.A. Daily News Lakers beat writer Mark Medina on Twitter. E-mail him at mark.medina@dailynews.com