By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Pau Gasol is slowly settling into his life after retirement from basketball and, in his recent interview with MARCA, he admitted that a part of him misses the adrenaline of competing.
“Of course. I miss the adrenaline that the competition provokes, although I already had to go two years without it before my signing for Barca, due to my injury. That situation, coupled with the pandemic, helped me channel that energy through other hobbies and projects,” he said but also noted that he got the ending he wished for.
“I feared for a time that the injury would end by withdrawing. But in the end, thanks to the great team of professionals who helped me in my recovery, I was able to say goodbye to the sport that I love so much from the field. I retired playing and with 41 years. What more could you want?”
Retiring hasn’t actually meant Gasol would be less busy. In fact, he’s got plenty of things to keep him occupied.
“No day is the same as another and that is precisely what I value. Sometimes I have meetings with my different teams (the Gasol Foundation, my communication team, investments…). Other times I travel or attend IOC meetings for my position on the Athletes Commission. I keep regular calls with different agents in the field of sport to advance in the implementation of different projects. I attend events, record videos, give lectures, write articles, review proposals and documents … And, of course, I am a father and husband. Everything except standing!”
That said, he will at least once more get back to the home court of LA Lakers, when his jersey gets a spot in the rafters. No timetable yet, though.
“When Jeanie Buss announced it through her Twitter account shortly after my retirement, I was very grateful and honored. Only ten players have that great honor. That my number looks next to the one of Kobe, Magic Johnson or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is an indescribable dream. I can never thank the Lakers and their fans enough for the love they have always given me and still pass on to me. At the moment there is no date for the withdrawal of the shirt.”