Pau Gasol’s basketball career spanned more than two decades.
NBA fans fondly remember him as one of the centerpieces of the Los Angeles Lakers’ back-to-back titles in 2009 and 2010. He also has two silver medals from the Olympics, a gold from the World Cup, and more championships from Eurobasket. Gasol recently retired in October, leaving behind a storied legacy after reaching the highest levels of the game.
Gasol recently shared on NBA Connections – a meet-and-greet session with an NBA player or legend hosted for NBA partners in the Asia-Pacific region - how he was able to have a long and successful professional career.
“There is no question that passion is a huge factor,” Gasol said about his longevity. “Loving what you do even through the aches and pains, struggles… If you love what you do, then it pushes you to do all that.
“And it’s not really a sacrifice. It’s something you do for a reason, to be able to do something that you love so much.”
Passion was extremely important, however, it was not the only factor for Gasol’s success. He also mentioned that he was very appreciative during his career, aware that he was in a unique position having played professional basketball for over 20 years. He always understood that not a lot of players get that many opportunities to play for a considerable amount of time.
“You gotta take care of yourself. You gotta do the little things. You gotta put in the extra work,” Gasol said. “When you’re young, full of energy, your body recovers really well, you’re athletic, you haven’t had as many miles on your wheels, everything’s just a little easier. When you’re older, you gotta put in the time before practice, after practice, when you’re at home, you gotta take care of as many of the little details as you can in order to play at a high level and compete with these youngsters.”
Even though Gasol had to prepare more when he got older, he did credit experience and wisdom with age. What he lacked physically, he made up for being more cerebral. “That’s how I’ve been able to endure for as long as I have,” he said.
For Gasol, it was all about routines that helped him prepare mentally and physically for games and play at a high level. Part of his routine in the morning involved reading and eating breakfast with his wife before going to shootaround or practice. He used to go over the schemes and coverages so that he’ll be ready to execute them come game time. His regimen included having the same meal every game day (pasta with meat or tomato sauce, grilled chicken with sweet potatoes or some vegetables on the side), a nap, plus work on stretching and mobilization.
“You just gotta understand what that routine is like and what helps you perform better,” he said. “If you break the routine, it kinda throws you off a little. There are players who are more superstitious, to me, it was about sticking to something that gets you to be in a mental and physical state to perform well.”
Gasol began playing professionally in Spain with FC Barcelona in 1998. He was picked third overall in the 2001 NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks before his draft rights were traded to the Memphis Grizzlies. He established himself as a premier big man in the league with a skillset not too many centers had during that era. By the time he got to Los Angeles in 2008, he turned out to be the missing piece for a championship contender. After his two championships in LA, he made stops in Chicago, San Antonio, plus briefly in Milwaukee.
Over his career, Gasol never considered retiring too soon. His passion never wavered. Yet it was his body that told him it was time to move on.
“It was my body that was telling me, ‘Hey you pushed me too much,’” he said.
In 2019, Gasol initially signed with the Portland Trail Blazers but was waived before he even had a chance to play. A nagging left foot injury forced the Spaniard to miss the next two years, focusing on rehab and getting back into game shape.
“I had surgery and then I tried to come back a little too soon and then it fractured again. At that point, I was like ‘Hmmm… I was already 39. I was like maybe it’s time,’” Gasol said. “But then a feeling and a thought was no I cannot, I don’t want to finish my career like this. It’s been too special, too unique, and I wanna finish playing on the court. So I worked really hard for two years to get back on the floor and give myself an opportunity when it was not easy. It was not clear. It was quite risky but in the end, it paid off.”
To end his career, Gasol went full circle and signed with FC Barcelona in February. He was even rostered in Spain’s Olympic lineup for the Tokyo games. After announcing his retirement from international competition after the Olympics, he eventually said goodbye to basketball in October. He described his path back from injury as “fighting for a dream.” He also shared that fans can watch his documentary “Pau Gasol: It's About the Journey” which detailed his long career, his struggles, his retirement, and his love for the game.
Nowadays, Gasol is enjoying basketball like every other fan, watching every game he can.
“I follow basketball. I’m on the West Coast so I start watching games from 4:00 PM until 9:30 PM or 10:00 PM. I watch from the beginning, I just flip from game to game,” he said, keeping an eye out for teams he played for, teams that are playing well, and even teams that he can potentially have a relationship with in the future.
“I enjoy watching the game. I love the game. I played it for so long, the game is still in me. It’s not that I miss playing, but I love to see how it grows, how it evolves, and how players are doing. It’s fun.”
Gasol recently retired but his love for the game certainly hasn’t diminished. He believes that sports have the powerful ability to inspire and bring people together. Some of his inspirations include Michael Jordan, his former teammate Kobe Bryant, and his brother Marc. Outside of basketball, there is tennis star Rafa Nadal. He knows that the next generation of fans and athletes will also look up to muses for inspiration.
“I love how the game is followed in Asia from the Philippines to China to Thailand to Japan to all the countries. There’s a big following. I’m just thankful that I’ve been a part of the game and have played for so long and I love to continue to see the game grow,” Gasol said. “I believe sports is such a huge educational tool for kids to develop to learn a lot of great values that will be useful for their lives no matter what they do and then it’s healthy to be physically active. To have a passion for sports it’s important.”
