‘Give yourself a chance at sports’

Till date,he remains blissfully unaware of Paul the octopus. What he is aware of,though,is another net,another ball,another game — one at which he is,not surprisingly,very good. Member of the 2010 NBA finals winners Los Angeles Lakers,Gasol may be out of football but in his dedication to sporting excellence,he is a true Spaniard.

He is also humility personified. In the Capital to conduct basketball training sessions under the ‘NBA Cares’ programme,Gasol didn’t give the impression of being a man who has almost every conceivable achievement against his name.

Going through the paces with young enthusiastic hopefuls,he remained calm despite the pressure. Gasol went through the basic basketball drills of dribbling and dunking with utmost patience even as the school kids around him kept stumbling,encouraging them from the sidelines. “Stop and run,turnaround and attack. In basketball,speed and direction have to change constantly,” he shouts out,trying to explain the basics of the game.

Off court,he has his homework done; he knows basketball does not figure too high on the priority list of Indian kids. “I had a great interest in India and before coming,I knew basketball is not really the top sport here. But the kids I’ve met are way too excited and more intense than what I’d imagined. There’s a lot of potential,but they need the final push,” he says.

‘I don’t hate rivals’
Sports may trigger intense rivalries but Gasol tries to keep a different perspective. Ask the 7 feet 1inch forward about his rivalry with NBA 2010 finalists Boston Celtics and he says,“I don’t hate my rivals; rivalries are good for sports. I’m not a hateful person.”

For someone who started off wanting to help people,it is perhaps a given. Before being included in the NBA draft in 2001,Gasol had enrolled himself in medical school at the University of Barcelona,aiming for a medical degree. “There came a time when I could no longer continue with both (studies and sports). Basketball grew on me and I thought I had a better chance here. I later shifted to Los Angeles,” he said.

For youngsters,though,Gasol insists academics should hold great importance,but adds that they must give themselves a chance in sports as well. “I would say,‘try to stay with studying but if you want to make it into sports,you need to give yourself a real chance’,” Gasol said.

He tries to stay away from the glitz of top-flight sports,restricting the adulation and popularity in the ten years to the court. He says he is a homebody off it. “I like to rest,put ice packs on myself,read,go to concerts. We also do a lot of community work during the season.”

So,what does it take to make an NBA star? “Time. It takes years of dedicated effort,preparation and discipline. An Indian might take another 5-10 years to get there but,with enough support,talent should come out. This is not the end; see you (India) at the other side.”

Gasol snippets
Shoe size?
Sneaker-17,Rest 16
Worst thing about being tall?
Duck under every door I pass
Favourite team?
FC Barcelona
Favourite sportsman:Rafael Nadal
Favourite basketball player:My brother Marc
Toughest to guard?
Shaquille O’Neal
Opponent you fear?
I don’t fear anyone but respect most basketball players
Why No 16?
The number 16 is given to extra bench players and when I got the opportunity to play I decided to keep it that. I have turned this number into a regular number.
What part of the 7-foot body bears the max brunt when playing?
Brain.
One disease you’d seek to eradicate globally if you were Doc?
AIDS
Best compliment?
I am a humble and nice person.
Funniest thing on court?
When Shaq jumps into the crowd and smashes into someone. It’s funny though you think someone there must be hurt.