Pau Gasol is already part of NBA history. Someone unique, due to his physical conditions, techniques and understanding of the game, able to know and understand his position in the league at all times. From star and point of reference of the first Memphis Grizzlies to loyal square under the tutelage of Kobe Bryant, not forgetting the unbeatable decline of their careers with the Chicago Bulls and the San Antonio Spurs. Injuries reduced d’s final stretchan orbit that on the evening of October 5, 2021 came to an endflanked by those who have helped him in the more than 20 years he has competed in stadiums around the world.
However, the importance of the giant from Sant Boi de Llobregat goes beyond what he could do within those four lines, since the Catalan knew how to use his relevance and impact to overcome the barriers of what a professional should be sportsman. Dedicated, aware of the reality around him, From a very early age Pau was involved in all kinds of causes, especially of a social nature, forming what would be another part of his public image, without which it is very difficult to fully understand him. While others join social events and foundations more to improve their perception, Gasol did it because he truly believed it mattered and because it was truly useful to him, motivating many other people to get involved in their community or the more disadvantaged.
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Pau was one of the first athletes to collaborate and work hand in hand with them UNICEF, became the NGO’s ambassador in 2003. Since then, he has done intense work year after year, participating in various campaigns and conducting humanitarian trips to countries such as Iraq, Chad, Ethiopia, South Africa, Angola and Bangladesh. The Catalan axis has been a tactician in initiatives to encourage sport as a means of developing disadvantaged areas, as well as against child hunger. Because of this long history and his involvement, in 2019 he was named a Global Advocate for Nutrition and Ending Childhood Obesity. “We’re all necessary in this job. It’s a must-win game for the kids.” he said on one occasion.
“We are very grateful for Pau Gasol’s passionate commitment for more than a decade to the work of UNICEF”wrote NGO member Caryl Stern for the San Antonio Express News. “Her genuine spirit has undoubtedly brought awareness and help raising funds to the most vulnerable in our world: children.”
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Apart from visiting and working with underserved areas, one of the reasons Pau invested more was in relation to HIV. As part of a generation that saw how magic Johnson he announced his retirement abruptly in November 1991, while the virus was attacking world society hard, the Spaniard was scarred by it. Once he had the option, Gasol participated in awareness campaigns to raise awareness about the disease, the options people had when dealing with the condition, or to help prevent further infections. “I know my personal relevance is fleeting, so now is the time to use it to help educate children and youth about prevention.” recognized in 2003.
The education in health values he received from his parents, both health workers, was crucial to the human and personal development of the Catalan, who, due to the impact of Magic’s withdrawal, wanted to study medicine, leaving this path when the career ended, the sport took off. “I remember when it was announced that Magic Johnson was HIV positive. I must have been ten or eleven years old and I was already watching NBA games on TV and it had a huge impact on me.” commented in 2010. “And I wanted to do something, I wanted to help find a cure for AIDS. And the only thing I could think about was becoming a doctor.”
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Even today it is still vital to carry out awareness and information work about HIV, ending prejudices and clichés that have little or nothing to do with the reality of the disease. This is why Pau has been one of the most dedicated athletes to the cause, spreading all kinds of positive messages to help everyone, both those affected and those not affected. “When the disease started to spread, people didn’t understand it. It was a stigma and no one wanted to know anything about it. Those who suffered from it isolated themselves and tried to keep them as far away as possible.” he recalled in an interview with NBA.com United States in 2010. “That’s what lack of information does. That’s why I encourage everyone to be informed and interested in it, to ask questions, to learn things for themselves. These are really important things. Just because it hasn’t happened to you doesn’t mean you don’t have to take note. Information is always power.”
But the Spaniard’s intervention in social and humanitarian causes did not stop there, since his presence in the children’s hospitals of the cities where he spent most of his time became common. It all started, of course, in Memphis where he regularly participated in events at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. It was there that he would start his fundraising campaign years later Hoops for St. Jude.
This commitment to the local community was something he was able to carry over when he moved to Los Angeles. In the city of California, Pau developed a good relationship with Dr. David Skaggswith whom he joined forces at Children’s Hospital of Sunset Boulevard. “Pau is a man who could have devoted himself to anything, be it medicine or basketball. And I think he sees medicine and surgery as two paths that he was unable to pursue. I have no doubt that Pau would have been one of us had he chosen the other path of staying in medical school.” the doctor pointed out in a 2010 ESPN interview.
Gasol was closely associated with the Los Angeles hospital, to donate $250,000, in addition to performing unpaid work for money such as activities of all kinds with children. Later, in San Antonio, Pau maintained his commitment to children’s hospitals, specifically the city’s Methodist Children’s Hospital, where he would go when he had a choice based on the NBA calendar and share moments with children receiving different treatments.
earlier today, @Pau Gasol spent some time at Methodist Children’s Hospital visiting patients and their families. #ThisIsWhyWePlay pic.twitter.com/Rwmlh55TQW
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) September 21, 2018
With such an outstanding career off the court, the NBA wanted to reward him with the highest honor for figures of this type, such as Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award in 2012, an award that highlights the work of players as part of the community. Later, in 2015, he received the award Global Impact Player by the players union for its entire humanitarian history and social awareness.
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After years of different actions for all kinds of associations and causes, in 2013 Marc and Pau founded the Gasol Foundationan entity through which they can drive projects of all kinds to help the most disadvantaged sectors of society or to instigate changes that can correct inequalities. Among the activities the organization has promoted the most are the fight against childhood obesity, the promotion of healthy lifestyle habits through sports and campaigns to improve early nutrition.
Pau Gasol’s athletic career may be over and we’ll never see him suit up for a real game again, but now his most important stage is about to begin, where he’ll get even more involved with all those causes he devoted what little free time he had to in the season, further lengthening the shadow of his legend. The pivot’s actions away from the spotlight and the courts make him a figure of reference for generations to come and an example for all those athletes who seek to push the boundaries of their discipline.
The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of the NBA or its organizations.
