Pau Gasol: “What did I have for an afternoon snack in Lille? A banana and a cut…”

Within the group of enormous legends who enter the FEB Hall of Fame within their third promotionn, there is a name that shines with gold letters. Pau Gasol Sáez (6-7-1980, Barcelona), the best Spanish basketball player in history, rounds off a year that will remain in his memory forever and in which, in addition to entering the Spanish basketball hall of fame, He has seen his number 16 jersey retired by the most glamorous franchise ever, the legendary Lakers, and has also been inducted into the Springfield Hall of Fame. Before being recognized in Seville, he gave a 20-minute interview to AS through Zoom.

Let me start with a license to honor someone who is already in the Hall of Fame. Finally, and as Don Andrés Montes said, what did the artichokes from Sant Boi, Pau have?

Well… a lot of vitamins, I guess (laughs). The truth is that we didn’t eat many artichokes when we were little, although my mother tried. In fact, I found out that Sant Boi was known for artichokes almost more because of Andrés than for anything else…

This 2023 is a year that will be recorded forever. Retirement of the Lakers jersey, entry into the Springfield Hall of Fame… What is special about this entry into the FEB Hall of Fame?

A very, very special year, yes. It’s hard to process it all. I have tried to go step by step and moment by moment. I have tried to enjoy it as much as possible, but even so they are acts and recognitions of a great dimension. First, I am very grateful to be able to experience these special things, to be able to share them with everyone who has followed me, who has shared moments directly and personally. But also from a distance, from his house, who has watched games as a fan on television. There are many people who remember. And this recognition from the FEB is also, obviously, special because of what our National Team has meant. What we have been able to do, and build, and put Spanish basketball at the top of the world. And the way we have done it; and how we have transmitted it, that is the most important thing. That feeling of team, of unity, of respect, of humility. And family, finally, which is what we have been able to create. Entering the FEB Hall of Fame has a special flavor because of everything I have said.

The successes have a lot of merit, but I imagine that you also value continuity over time. It’s twenty years. How have you been managing that?

Well. First, with great passion, devotion and appreciation for what you do. In the end, I think it’s a consequence of all that. From the beginning of my career, I remembered that phrase that says that the difficult thing is not getting there, but staying there. I always approached my career with hunger, non-conformity. I wanted to grow and go through stages. First you go through a stage of learning as a young person. Then, you reach a physical and mental maturity where you can enjoy special years and a high level of play. And then comes a part, where the game and your body begin to decline and you try to continue contributing important things and giving value to your team. And so, you can extend your career as far as I have been able to do. And all this with a team at your side, on a physical, medical and emotional level. And with my own family, my parents and my brothers, who have helped me, obviously, to be where I have been able to be for so long.

To what extent has it made it more special that you were able to take that trip with your brother, Marc, or with lifelong friends like Navarro?

That’s all. The quality of the relationships and people you surround yourself with in life is what makes things special. It’s one of the beautiful things about team sports, where not everything depends on you; and your team and your colleagues support you a lot. In order for you to achieve important victories, the team has to work and each person has to play their role as best as possible. Having done it with great colleagues, great friends, and with the special point of having my brother on that trip at that stage, is what has made it much more special.

Did you get to talk during your years in the National Team or right now, these days, about what it was like to put the National Team on par with the old USSR or the former Yugoslavia? Were they aware of it?

In a certain way or in a certain dimension we do have awareness of what we have been able to do for a while. At the European level, and even at the international level, for years we were the team to beat and the team on which everyone had their focus due to our success and our quality as a team. So nothing, you have that perception. But what gives me the most satisfaction and pride is that even with this inevitable and necessary generational change, the team continues to be at a great level and, without going any further, we won the Eurobasket in Germany last year; and this year I think we were very close to having gone far in the World Cup. We are one step away from beating the team that reached bronze… Well, we are there, the team is there. The players keep coming out. There is a good generation behind us that will continue to keep our National Team in the highest positions… I am very happy about that.

You have had very bad games with the National Team and, however, one of the images that remains in history is that of the final in London, with the entire United States team showing their respect and hugging you in the locker room. How do you remember that?

Well. It was a really bittersweet moment. After that 2008 final, which everyone considers the most epic game in FIBA ​​basketball, the final in Beijing, we had one more opportunity in London. Not everyone has the opportunity to play in a second Olympic final. We gave everything and it couldn’t be, but seeing in that moment of pain how the entire American team comes and recognizes and respects you, which is not something that has been seen very often in the world of sports, is obviously appreciated. The moment was difficult, but seeing the images, knowing that you have lived that moment is appreciated. It says a lot about them, too. You don’t usually see that in a tournament, that the champion team, which should be jumping, goes towards a player to recognize him like that.

Which thorn pricks you the most, not having been able to beat the United States in those 2008 and 2012 finals or in the 2016 semifinals, even in Tokyo, or not having been able to participate in six Olympic Games when in Sydney you were already on the verge of victory? burst?

Neither of those two. I would have liked to have won the 2007 Eurobasket final and not have lost against France in the quarterfinals of the 2014 World Cup. Both times, at home. Those are two thorns that remain there. In the two finals against the United States we were at a high level and a better team beat us, or one that knew how to play better in certain moments and won the game. But in the 2007 final we lost the game (before Russia) tight, playing not very well; and I didn’t play my best game. That hurts me as a team leader. And then, those quarterfinals against France in a World Cup where we were sweeping… Losing that game was hard because we were below what our level should have been and what our level had been in previous games. Those two thorns are the ones I wish had been different. However, that later led us to grow as a team. After the defeat in 2007, we reached the final in Beijing and won the Eurobasket in 2009 and 2011. And after the defeat in our World Cup, we won the Eurobasket in 2015. We managed those defeats well and it made us grow. But, even so, they are defeats and moments and thorns that are there.

Do you remember what you had before scoring 40 points against France in Lille?

(Laughs)… I don’t remember very well, but I would have a banana and a cut. I imagine I would go that way, as usual. I don’t know if there was some mixed sandwich or not, I don’t remember… he was already focused on the game.

What does Pau Gasol dedicate his time to now?

So look. I am an ambassador for FIBA, for the NBA, for Nike, and I have also been an ambassador for Barça in the United States. Then, I am a member of the IOC and a member of the IOC Athletes Commission. Also member of the Ethics and Coordination Commission of the 2028 Games (Los Angeles). I am also president and founder of the Gasol Foundation, with which we are growing a lot in our impact and our programs in Portugal, Spain, the United States; and now in the Philippines, where we have arrived thanks to an alliance with FIBA ​​for the World Cup.

There is more?

Yes. I am vice president of Bàsquet Girona, supporting my brother Marc. I am an investor in the world of sports and health; and supporting companies and entrepreneurs that leave Spain, being a member of the Endeavor Board of Trustees. And I could tell you more things. I am a restless, ambitious person, a person who tries to take advantage of opportunities, maximize my impact. That while he is alive, he wants to help others and take advantage of the responsibility and opportunity I have to leave a big mark and help. For more than 20 years I have been a UNICEF ambassador and I also dedicate time to it. So I have a lot of things and I’m proud to do them. I also have sponsorships and relationships with Spanish companies such as Telefónica, Iberia, Santander, with which we do activations. So good. With great enthusiasm. And also doing things at home, trying to be the best father and husband I can be, understanding that it is not always easy with everything I have told him. And enjoying it, if you don’t do that, it’s better to change the movie…

Good final reflection. See you in Seville.

Thank you.