"I love when kids are fearless": Lakers legend Pau Gasol talks about his Foundation's work, aiming to address childhood obesity (Exclusive)
As he handed a basketball to each child, former NBA star Pau Gasol evoked two different reactions.
Some children appeared afraid to shoot a basket against a Hall-of-Fame big man who won two NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers and two Olympic silver medals with the Spanish national team. Some children appeared intrigued with trying to produce a highlight reel.
When he hosted a clinic at an LA-based elementary school earlier this year as part of the Gasol Foundation, Gasol either showed his competitive or nurturing side.
“I try to motivate them, but I adjust to every kid,” Gasol told Sportskeeda. “Some kids might get discouraged a little more easily. But there are some kids that might thrive and feel motivated because you challenged them.”
Pau Gasol interview (Exclusive)
Gasol hosted another clinic this week at Hoover Elementary School as part of the Foundation’s Galactic Sports program, which teaches sports skills and wellness lessons for six to 12-year-olds. Gasol also started a digital sweepstakes campaign that will give participants a chance to win a replica of his Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall-of-Fame ring, a commemorative No. 16 Lakers hat, and a Spanish team basketball postcard autographed by Pau Gasol. (the sweepstakes will end on Jan. 6 at 11 am PT and the winner will be announced on Jan. 11 at noon PT).
The Gasol Foundation said all of those proceeds will go toward its programs aimed at addressing childhood obesity prevention in the United States and Europe. Below is a one-on-one conversation with Gasol on the Gasol Foundation.
(The following interview has been edited and condensed.)
What impact has the Gasol Foundation made so far with helping to reduce obesity?
Gasol: “It’s the impact that we have with the kids in the community and with the underserved and more vulnerable in the community that are in more need of support, guidance and knowledge and empowerment. The most fun things are the interactions with the kids. You’re trying to share the knowledge that we have and the programs that we do to help them carry on a healthier lifestyle. Our goal is to prevent obesity and overweight children that will turn into overweight and obese adults. That will then turn into a lot of different diseases that come from that with a horrible quality of life and early death. We’re trying to focus on that prevention, do it early on in their lives so we can get ahead of the curve and then we can change the direction of this curve that has been ascending for way too long. We have to put a lot of emphasis on it. That’s what we’ve been trying to do for these last 10 years incrementally here and in Europe, including Spain and other countries. We’re in it for the long run because it’s an issue that is not going away.”
To humanize your interactions with the kids, what moments have stuck with you the most during your work with the Gasol Foundation and with UNICEF?
Gasol: “That’s really the most touching part about it – the reaction and how thankful the parents are. (In) most of our programs, we try to involve the parents and empower them as well. But when you see a parent getting emotional and thanking you for what you provide and their families, that’s what touches your heart. It validates what you’re doing and encourages you to continue to do whatever it takes to carry on that mission. When a mother or a father cries in front of you and thanks you, it means you’re making a difference in their lives. That’s what sticks with me. I take in the moment and it provides validation for the reason why we do this. By helping kids and children, parents are thankful and are appreciative and supportive. Sometimes they show a lot of emotion.”
Even with the common theme of helping children and addressing nutrition concerns, there are some apples-to-oranges with your work with the Gasol Foundation and with UNICEF. How would you compare the experiences?
Gasol: “It’s all about taking care of children and defending their rights and providing a better quality of life and better future. We do that through human emergencies with UNICEF in countries where kids are literally fighting for their lives. Or we are addressing a global pandemic as obesity is with staggering numbers and staggering growth in a world that continues to change extremely fast. Technology is more and more present, and our habits and health are being threatened. That always hits the most vulnerable communities. Poorer countries suffer more because of the lack of resources. There are a lot of problems and issues that they have to deal with on a daily basis. It’s all about helping the vulnerable.”
You have stressed the importance to kids about prioritizing sleep, physical activity, eating healthy, and taking care of your emotional well-being. What has been your message on how they can achieve those goals?
Gasol:
“We provide them with tools and knowledge with how to improve their quality of sleep with how to create better routines with going into bed so their sleep has more quality and they can recover and feel more rested. We also give them more tools to deal with their emotional well-being. With being in underserved and vulnerable communities, sometimes they have to deal with safety, lack of resources and disruption in their household. We give them tools to help them deal with their emotions. That automatically will help them sleep better. That will help them to eat better because they won’t be as anxious, stressed or angry. That’s when you eat faster or eat more poorly. Then, you eat whatever and whenever. We give them nutrients and food for them and their family so they know how to cook in a healthier way. That will help with all of that. We then promote the physical activity about going out, playing and finding safe spaces. We work with the parks and recreations with the city, schools, YMCAs and Boys and Girls Clubs. The working doesn’t stop so that we have a better environment that is healthier for them.”
You certainly never had to worry about when your next meal is. But you dealt with relative daily stresses as a former NBA player. What approaches did you take to get enough sleep, eat well and have an emotional well-being amid the pressure and busy schedule?
Gasol:
“The good thing about professional sports is that it’s very structured. You do find a way to establish a routine. That is helpful with preparing yourself for practices, games and travel. At the same time, you have to be mindful as you move along both early in your career and further along in it. As you get older and have the privilege to play the game longer, you have to take care of yourself more because your body also grows and doesn’t recover as fast. So you need a little more care and maintenance. All of those things are things you have to learn along the way. Teams invest so much money in their assets. In order for those assets to produce and perform, they have great staffs that can take care of everything. It’s just a matter of whether you can accept that and incorporate all of those things so it helps you and the team."
"You also have to find balance as well and have perspective in life. That’s what my philanthropic efforts have provided for me in many ways throughout my career. It’s really easy to get caught up in the noise, whether it’s the praise, the criticism or the adulation. But it’s good to keep yourself grounded and surround yourself with people that help you with that and not just be around people that will tell you how great you are all the time and want to ride the wave and drink the Kool-Aid. There are lot of things you can do to be in a better place to deal with the pressure and the ups and downs. You are thankful to have that opportunity, and you’ve earned that. But you also have to keep perspective and enjoy it for the time that it lasts, and then prepare yourself for the rest of your life.”
Back to when I was asking you about the memorable interactions. What moments of levity have stuck out to you?
Gasol:
“It's always fun. Children love to play. They just want to have fun. They don’t really care too much or know too much about who you are, what you do or what you have accomplished. Now as I get older and there is more time that I haven’t played, some kids know you and some others don’t. But at the end of the day, they want to have fun and want you to give attention to them and interact with them. Those interactions are the most fun and authentic. Kids don’t sugarcoat too much. They appreciate the authenticity and being genuine. If you give them love and attention, they will give it back to you. That’s what I enjoy: Playing with them, loving them and empowering them and make them dream. You want them to pursue their dreams and not let anybody or their situation dictate too much with their outcome.”
At one of your clinics, I noticed they showed either fear or intrigue before trying to score a basket on you. What are those moments like?
Gasol: “I love when kids are fearless. Some seem to think, ‘I’ve never seen a seven-footer in my life.’ It’s kind of fun to be able to provide to kids and people. No matter what, that’s unique in its own way. If we’re playing basketball, we’ll try to make it fun and try to make it challenging and not try to make things too easy for kids. If they’re dreaming of playing at a high level, they’re going to have to figure things out and come up with ways to score against a taller person. I try to motivate them, but I adjust to every kid. Some kids might get discouraged a little more easily. But there are some kids that might thrive and feel motivated because you challenged them. That’s the beauty of managing individuals, and knowing how to handle them in different ways.”
Mark Medina in an NBA insider for Sportskeeda. Follow him on X, Instagram, Facebook and Threads.