I won’t deny that I did everything I could to play the sport that I love for as
long as I could, to continue competing and having fun on the court where I have spent most of life in, with the desire to close this unbelievable chapter by playing my fifth Olympics with my national team, this time in Tokyo. The documentary
It’s About the Journey, which Amazon released a few months ago, shows the long rehabilitation I undertook after injuring my left foot. With discipline, determination, resilience and the invaluable support of my wife and my professional team,
the quest ended as a huge success, I ended my career playing, on my own terms…
I was able to bring my career full circle: competing in and winning the Spanish league with FC Barcelona, the club where I grew up playing for, and also with the Spanish national team (known as “La familia”) at the Olympic Games.
I announced my retirement on October 5, 2021, just one year ago. I can
honestly say that I made this decision knowing how fortunate I have been to
do something that I love for so long, appreciating what basketball has given me and my family, and also, being ready to embark on a new journey. The emotion
that the closure brought to me was inevitable, there was definitely a part of sadness there, but it was overtaken but the joy of the love and appreciation from my family, closest friends, teammates, the presence of many media outlets on
the night of my announcement, and also all the messages on social media by
fans from all over the world.
During the Beijing 2020 Olympic Games, my fellow athletes elected me to
represent them on the IOC Athletes' Commission. It is a tremendous responsibility. In this role, I have been attending meetings in person and remotely. I’ve also been appointed to be a member of the IOC Ethics Commission and the Coordinating Commission for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, with which I recently traveled to LA to participate in in-person meetings with the Organizing Committee of LA28. I am also a member of the Spanish Olympic Committee.
I was part of the group of investors who, with their support for the WNBA,
made possible the largest investment round in the history of women's sports.
I also made my debut as FIBA ambassador at the Women's Basketball World Cup held in Australia a few days ago. And I continued with other projects that I had already started before retirement, such as my role as global advisor to FC Barcelona and as vice president of Basquet Girona (a basketball club that plays in Spain’s top division and that my brother Marc leads as owner, president and player).
Pau Gasol in Lausanne, Switzerland, during an IOC meeting, and with IOC President Thomas Bach. (Photo: IOC)
Supporting athletes and sports
Pau Gasol during the launch of Spain’s National Strategic Plan for the
Reduction of Childhood Obesity and with Spanish President Pedro Sánchez.
Pau Gasol during a Gasol Foundation activity.
(Photo: Gasol Foundation)
Pau Gasol Academy by Santander 2022
Pau Gasol with some Overtime Elite players.
Cover of the documentary It's About the Journey.
By Pau Gasol
The Spanish government gave me the highest sports decoration my country bestows, the Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Sporting Merit. And the recent decision of the Los Angeles Lakers to retire my jersey at the Crypto.com Arena (formerly the mythical Staples Center) is another huge honor that fills me with
pride and gratitude and I’m still trying to grasp.
From the first moment of my retirement, it was clear to me that whatever I
did next, I had to be as passionate about it as I was about the career I was leaving behind. Having decided this, I knew that I had to focus my efforts on supporting athletes, the world of sports; sharing the knowledge and experience that I’ve accumulated, learning how I can be of better service to others, making sure that
my success as an athlete will be used for something much bigger than that.
So that’s exactly what I have been doing this year, and this is just the beginning. Once again, I have been reminded that the goal is not as important as the journey, the people you meet along the way, having the mindset of continued learning and sharing it with others so they can become their best version of themselves.
Video summary of Pau Gasol's first 12 months after his retirement.
In 2013, Marc and I realized that childhood obesity was an urgent epidemic in both the United States and Spain. Thus, we launched the Gasol Foundation (based in Los Angeles and Barcelona) to promote healthy habits and ensure a safer future full of opportunities for all children. Since then, we have taken important steps to facilitate the study of childhood obesity and launch programs to combat it. One of the main milestones occurred in 2022, when we presented Spain’s National Strategic Plan for the Reduction of Childhood Obesity together with the Spanish government and other entities. This plan will lead to very positive outcomes for children in the coming years.
Social Impact
The Gasol Foundation also joined forces with other social organizations to
ask Spanish government authorities to regulate the advertising of unhealthy
foods aimed at children. And we continued our growth with numerous programs
in different parts of the United States.
In my role as UNICEF's Global Champion for Nutrition and Zero Childhood Obesity,
I try to support a variety of causes around the world. The last few months have
been focused on protecting children in the face of the tragedy in Ukraine.
Another project that has been running for over 18 years is the Pau Gasol Academy by Santander, which this year returned to its on-site format as a basketball campus that teaches hundreds of boys and girls healthy habits and the values of sports.
As such, I am an investor in Overtime and a member of the Board of Directors
of Overtime Elite; an investor and ambassador for sports technology companies such as Oura and Therabody; and an investor and advisor to Better Up and Sports Innovation Lab. I am also an investor in Draftea and a member of the advisory board of The Consello Group.
Supporting Entrepreneurs
I have always considered myself an entrepreneurial person. Leaving Spain
for the NBA when I did was risky, a decision many people thought was a mistake. They told me that the most intelligent thing to do was to stay in Spain. Entrepreneurs make decisions like that all the time, and that's why I like to support talent, do my part to make good ideas come to market and help people. I particularly support projects related to sports and wellness, as well as Spanish entrepreneurs with global ambition.
I recently announced my involvement in several young Spanish entrepreneurs’ projects, such as the nutrition app Indya and the online flower service Colvin.
In addition, I continue to give speeches and presentations sharing the
lessons I have learned throughout my career about teamwork, coming back
from a defeat, and how to build the right culture to create a high-performing team. Preparation is an essential concept to me. I believe in active learning,
in seeking out the right people and sources to learn about the topics that interest you. I am committed to supporting younger generations and people
of all ages as a way to maximize all that I have learned in a long and, by many people’s standards, unusual professional experience.
In the coming months and years, I will try to continue making a positive impact
on people's lives, giving back to society as much as I can, understanding and appreciating how much it has given to me. I look forward to this next phase of
my life, I am embracing the new challenges ahead with excitement, curiosity
and the same ambition I had on the court. I am just getting started.
My first year off the court
I won’t deny that I did everything I could to play the sport that I love for as
long as I could, to continue competing and having fun on the court where I have spent most of life in, with the desire to close this unbelievable chapter by playing my fifth Olympics with my national team, this time in Tokyo. The documentary
It's About the Journey, which Amazon released a few months ago, shows the long rehabilitation I undertook after injuring my left foot. With discipline, determination, resilience and the invaluable support of my wife and my professional team,
the quest ended as a huge success, I ended my career playing, on my own terms…
I was able to bring my career full circle: competing in and winning the Spanish league with FC Barcelona, the club where I grew up playing for, and also with the Spanish national team (known as “La familia”) at the Olympic Games.
My first year
off the court
I won’t deny that I did everything I could to play the sport that I love for as long as I could, to continue competing and having fun on the court where I have spent most of life in, with the desire to close this unbelievable chapter by playing my fifth Olympics with my national team, this time in Tokyo. The documentary It’s About the Journey, which Amazon released a few months ago, shows the long rehabilitation I undertook after injuring my left foot. With discipline, determination, resilience and the invaluable support of my wife and my professional team, the quest ended as
a huge success, I ended my career playing, on
my own terms… I was able to bring my career
full circle: competing in and winning the Spanish league with FC Barcelona, the club where I grew up playing for, and also with the Spanish national team (known as “La familia”) at the Olympic Games.
I announced my retirement on October 5, 2021,
just one year ago. I can honestly say that I made this decision knowing how fortunate I have been
to do something that I love for so long, appreciating what basketball has given me and my family,
and also, being ready to embark on a new journey.
The emotion that the closure brought to me was inevitable, there was definitely a part of sadness there, but it was overtaken but the joy of the love and appreciation from my family, closest friends, teammates, the presence of many media outlets
on the night of my announcement, and also all
the messages on social media by fans from
all over the world.
From the first moment of my retirement, it was clear to me that whatever I did next, I had to be
as passionate about it as I was about the career
I was leaving behind. Having decided this, I knew that I had to focus my efforts on supporting athletes, the world of sports; sharing the knowledge and experience that I’ve accumulated, learning how I can be of better service to others, making sure that my success as an athlete will be used for something much bigger than that. So that’s exactly what I have been doing this year, and this is just the beginning. Once again, I have been reminded that the goal is not as important as the journey, the people you meet along the way, having the mindset of continued learning and sharing it with others so they can become their best version of themselves.
During the Beijing 2020 Olympic Games, my fellow athletes elected me to represent them on the IOC Athletes' Commission. It is a tremendous responsibility. In this role, I have been attending meetings in person and remotely. I’ve also been appointed to be a member of the IOC Ethics Commission and the Coordinating Commission for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games,
with which I recently traveled to LA to participate in in-person meetings with the Organizing Committee of LA28. I am also a member of
the Spanish Olympic Committee.
Supporting athletes and sports
In 2013, Marc and I realized that childhood obesity was an urgent epidemic in both the United States and Spain. Thus, we launched
the Gasol Foundation (based in Los Angeles
and Barcelona) to promote healthy habits and ensure a safer future full of opportunities for
all children. Since then, we have taken important steps to facilitate the study of childhood obesity and launch programs to combat it. One of the main milestones occurred in 2022, when we presented Spain’s National Strategic Plan for
the Reduction of Childhood Obesity together
with the Spanish government and other entities. This plan will lead to very positive outcome
for children in the coming years.
During the Beijing 2020 Olympic Games, my fellow athletes elected me to represent them on the IOC Athletes’ Commission. It is a tremendous responsibility. In this role, I have been attending meetings in person and remotely. I’ve also been appointed to be a member of the IOC Ethics Commission and the Coordinating Commission for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games,
with which I recently traveled to LA to participate in in-person meetings with the Organizing Committee of LA28. I am also a member of
the Spanish Olympic Committee.
The Gasol Foundation also joined forces with
other social organizations to ask Spanish government authorities to regulate the advertising of unhealthy foods aimed at children. And we continued our growth with numerous programs
in different parts of the United States.
In my role as UNICEF's Global Champion for Nutrition and Zero Childhood Obesity, I try to support a variety of causes around the world.
The last few months have been focused on protecting children in the face of the tragedy
in Ukraine.
In 2013, Marc and I realized that childhood obesity was an urgent epidemic in both the United States and Spain. Thus, we launched
the Gasol Foundation (based in Los Angeles
and Barcelona) to promote healthy habits and ensure a safer future full of opportunities for
all children. Since then, we have taken important steps to facilitate the study of childhood obesity and launch programs to combat it. One of the main milestones occurred in 2022, when we presented Spain’s National Strategic Plan for
the Reduction of Childhood Obesity together
with the Spanish government and other entities. This plan will lead to very positive outcome
for children in the coming years.
Social Impact
I have always considered myself an entrepreneurial person. Leaving Spain for the NBA when I did
was risky, a decision many people thought was
a mistake. They told me that the most intelligent thing to do was to stay in Spain. Entrepreneurs make decisions like that all the time, and that's
why I like to support talent, do my part to make good ideas come to market and help people.
I particularly support projects related to sports
and wellness, as well as Spanish entrepreneurs with global ambition.
As such, I am an investor in Overtime and a member of the Board of Directors of Overtime Elite; an investor and ambassador for sports technology companies such as Oura and Therabody; and
an investor and advisor to Better Up and
Sports Innovation Lab. I am also an investor in Draftea and a member of the advisory board of
The Consello Group.
I recently announced my involvement in
several young Spanish entrepreneurs’ projects, such as the nutrition app Indya and the online flower service Colvin.
In addition, I continue to give speeches and presentations sharing the lessons I have learned throughout my career about teamwork, coming back from a defeat, and how to build the right culture to create a high-performing team. Preparation is an essential concept to me. I believe in active learning, in seeking out the right people and sources to learn about the topics that interest you. I am committed to supporting younger generations and people of all ages as a way
to maximize all that I have learned in a long
and, by many people’s standards, unusual professional experience.
I announced my retirement on October 5, 2021,
just one year ago. I can honestly say that I made this decision knowing how fortunate I have been
to do something that I love for so long, appreciating what basketball has given me and my family,
and also, being ready to embark on a new journey.
The emotion that the closure brought to me was inevitable, there was definitely a part of sadness there, but it was overtaken but the joy of the love and appreciation from my family, closest friends, teammates, the presence of many media outlets
on the night of my announcement, and also all
the messages on social media by fans from
all over the world.