MADRID, 8 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Pau Gasol is clear that one of his ideas when he launched the project of the docuseries on figure was to “capture and transmit” everything that meant “a very hard emotional moment” such as the recovery of the foot injury that had him More than two years away from the courts and he has no doubt that, although he could have played “a little more in special conditions”, he believes that he has done well because now he must “prioritize other things and be more present at home.”
The former Spanish player attended this Monday to various media on the occasion of the upcoming release of ‘The important thing is the trip’, his docuseries that will be broadcast by Prime Video from next November 12, which reviews the career of Sant Boi in four episodes, with his effort to recover from his foot injury and be able to play as a central core again.
A product, of which he has been one of its executive producers and whose final result has left him “very happy” because he believes they have conveyed “a lot of humanity and a lot of naturalness”. “It all started with that injury in Portland, I knew it was going to be a complicated stage especially in my professional life and it was also going to be difficult to manage it on an emotional level, and I wanted to capture it and transmit it. We wanted to convey how we have done things at the level family and the effect they have on people, which is very difficult to see and imagine, “said Gasol.
In this sense, he was “very grateful” for the participation of many people such as his coach in the Los Angeles Lakers, Phil Jackson, great rivals such as Kevin Garnett and Tony Parker, or former teammates such as Shane Battier, Derek Fisher or Lamar Odom.
“Kevin and Tony asked me to be on theirs and that gave me the step to ask them to participate in mine. I wish I had asked more coaches and teammates to convey their point of view, but I liked seeing everyone because it gives them a lot of wealth You are also in the journey of others and you see how you affect them. It is a participation that seems significant and excites me, “he added.
One of the things the docuseries revolves around is the tough process of recovering from your foot injury. At one point he even admits to the doctors in the face of the uncertainty that he was being torture on a personal level. “It was how I felt. It was very hard emotionally, it was hitting my head against a wall and continuing to give me,” he acknowledges.
The doctors did not give him “much confidence” either and he continued to do “everything” they told him, but that did not prevent him from injuring himself again at six months. “I let myself be carried away by what the specialists told me and I saw that the bone did not evolve, I also spent many months pricking a medicine that did not work,” he said.
“I’M IN CONVERSATIONS WITH SEVERAL NBA FRANCHISES”
And there his best support were his wife Cat, Joaquín Juan, his physiotherapist, and his family. “They were the ones who helped me go through that process. I also had talks with different ‘coaches’ from the business world and the company that helped me to stay positive and with perspective. They were hard times of great heaviness, downturns and even a relative pressure. But you have to overcome the ups and downs, move on and take perspective on things, “he stressed.
Another key point of ‘The important thing is the trip’ is the family aspect. The data says that 85 percent of marriages in the NBA separate and Gasol wanted to “convey the difficulty and reality that many athletes go through, and in particular NBA players.” “That number is very significant and it is something that I want to keep in mind and take care of,” he admitted.
“I am already involved in many things. Now I am going to Switzerland for a few days to the IOC, then to Los Angeles and I am going to be away from the family. It is something that you must know how to manage because you want to keep yourself very busy and your family can suffer. If you get carried away after retirement, the family is the first to suffer, that’s a reminder to myself, “said the two-ring NBA winner.
Now, he is “in talks with different franchises to see what a possible relationship would look like.” “At first, gradually, so as not to commit too much, but I do want to know a slightly different role that goes from consulting to a more executive one that allows you to have a little more stability,” he explained.
Regarding the announcement of his retirement, in the docuserie you can see how he consults with “those closest to him” to make a decision that “always” was going to “depend” on him. “It requires a very big commitment to continue playing at this point and I took a month to process the moment, see how I felt and wanted to be very honest with myself,” he said.
“I was able to retire on my own terms and the stage with Barça was an unexpected gift and winning a league, and being able to play my fifth Games despite the fact that we were able to fight for the medals was a dream for me. Now I have to prioritize other things and be more present at home. I could have played a little more, it may be, in special conditions as they were in my last months, but it has been a good moment and I am calm of having made that decision, “he settled.
“IT WOULD BE A HUGE HONOR TO SEE MY T-SHIRT RETIRED AT THE STAPLES”
The figure of Kobe Bryant also has its space. The Catalan recounts how they coincided in Barcelona by chance in a hotel gym, where they spoke for the first time about their respective wishes to leave the Lakers and the Grizzlies because they both wanted to “win.” “I never thought we could get together and what would happen. He wanted to know if we could find a way to play together, but I took it as a ‘Okay, ok’, but I did not give it more importance,” he said.
“When I came to Washington to join the Lakers, he welcomed me and he wanted to go to my room to send me a leader message. He said welcome, but I had come to win the ring. That translates to two rings and three endings in a row and a friendship that transcends basketball, “he highlighted.
His friendship with the guard and his impact on the Los Angeles franchise have caused it to even announce his desire to retire his jersey at the Staples Center. “It’s still hard for me to imagine it, it would be a huge honor and a super exciting moment. It is difficult for me to see myself with those great players in the history, the league and the history of the Lakers, and also next to what I consider an older brother” he confessed.