The Spanish Pau Gasol He is already a legend for eternity. He has just joined the firmament of the stars of the Lakers to which the Los Angeles team has given the honor of retiring their number. No one else will wear number 16 on the Lakers. He is now presiding over the pavilion together with the two jerseys of his teammate and great friend Kobe Bryant, whom Gasol considered “his older brother”, and together with the other great legends who went through one of the most important franchises in the NBA, among They are Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O’Neal, James Worthy, Wilt Chamberlain or George Mikan.
On the occasion of this tribute, Euronews He has spoken with Pau Gasol about his career and how he has achieved many more things than he dreamed of.
Ana Buil, Euronews: One year and five months after you retired from professional basketball, the Los Angeles Lakers, the team with which you won two NBA rings, retires the number 16 in your honor. His teammate and friend Kobe Bryant played an important role in his success with the Lakers. What do you think he would say to you at this moment, before this tribute? What would you tell him?
Pau Gasol, former basketball player:
“Kobi is a person that I keep very present in my life continuously… Although he is not with us in life, for me, his spirit, his legacy, his mentality is very present with me. And well, Well, I am very grateful and I feel very lucky not only to have had him as a partner, but to have felt him as that older brother that I never had, as a person who has influenced my life in a positive way, who has not only done it with me. , but that he has done it with many, many people. Not everyone has been lucky enough to be his partner and have been by his side in the way that I have done it or been able to do it. And, well, we are united by a huge bond and that our families are family forever.
Ana Buil, Euronews: You triumphed in the NBA, with Barcelona and with La Familia, (and the recognition doesn’t stop coming both in Spain and in the United States. Is there anything left for you to do? Do you regret any of your decisions? Does he have any thorns stuck in him?
Pau Gasol, former basketball player:
“No, in the end I feel very privileged to have a career, apart from a long one with many successes. That some more could have been achieved: surely. That something better could have been done: possibly. But I am one of the people I certainly try to learn from mistakes, but I don’t usually look back and I don’t usually regret things… I do look forward, I enjoy the present. As I said, I try to learn from the things I could have done better. And That’s how I’ve also grown and I’ve been able to have the career I’ve had. But beyond all that, I’m very grateful. And things I’m experiencing this year, recognitions that are incredible. Not even in the best of my dreams could I have felt it, live or see, well they are happening. And that’s thanks to the career I’ve had and the decisions I’ve made and how I’ve dealt with things. So thankful. A lot.”
Ana Buil, Euronews: You have just made your debut as a coach, winning the Rising Stars. Has this experience made you want to take the reins of a team?
Pau Gasol, former basketball player:
“Well, no, not in principle, really. Without a doubt, I really like being with the players at the end, I like to transmit knowledge to them, I like to motivate them so that they enjoy themselves, that they compete and give the best of themselves. But the figure of the The coach is extremely dedicated, totally committed to doing it well or very well. And I don’t, I wouldn’t know how to do it any other way. So, yes, I would like to continue having contact and influence with young players and with and with a team, and I am evaluating and exploring that, but the coach figure is very demanding and that is also not something that fits with everything I am doing and everything I want to do from now on, which goes beyond , with the social impact, all the philanthropic work that we are developing, also the impact and business growth that we are also creating little by little, building, the relationships that I have with different sports and non-sports organizations, with mar houses and companies Also, being more at home, right? And enjoying my family and my children, which is also something very important to me. Well, I have all that very much in mind and that’s why the coach thing doesn’t fit in.”
Ana buil, Euronews: When you retired, you said that you had “exceeded your dreams”. What exactly did he dream about when he was little?
Pau Gasol, former basketball player:
“Well, I dreamed of being an NBA player. I remember that I grew up in my room hanging all the posters that came in Gigantes magazine or NBA magazine, I hung them in my room. I filled the entire wall, there was no wall anymore There were no more posters and I dreamed of one day playing with the best. That ’92 dream team’ that came to Barcelona made many children dream. In the end, to dream you have to perceive something, see something, believe that something is possible and aspire to it. And well, and that team, and I told John Stockton the other day, I saw him in Utah, I said thank you for… And I have told some of the members of that team, in different occasions: ‘thank you for making me dream’. And that’s what I dreamed of. I didn’t dream of winning championships, I didn’t dream of being an All Star, I didn’t dream of having a retired jersey with the Lakers… So many things that I haven’t been able to to dream, but that I have been able to work and live and achieve, and I have done this thanks not only to my work, but to my family, my parents, my siblings, my grandparents, a work team, colleagues, coaches, the fans who have encouraged me with their energy, admiration, love, the media that without a doubt you do a fundamental job so that we have that impact and receive that affection. Well, a lot of things.”
Ana Buil, Euronews: Finally, thinking of all those boys and girls who dream of succeeding in basketball. In addition to talent, work and effort, what does it take to reach the top?
Pau Gasol, former basketball player:
“Well, without a doubt, the first is a determination and a passion for that, for the sport or for what you want to become and you want to achieve, right? And then, well, that determination and that total commitment to it. Understanding that to be the best of the best at something you have to work hard, nobody gives anything away and if you want something you have to go for it and you have to be able to fall many times and get up. And when people don’t believe in you, You have to believe in yourself more than anyone or in yourself, and that conviction is what makes you grow, overcome, learn, not throw in the towel… And then surround yourself with people who contribute to you, who help you add up, that makes you happy, that you feel, that he appreciates you, that he values you and that you also value and appreciate. And, well, and so you build and grow as a person and you go through stages”.
