Pau Gasol is no stranger to the spotlight. The six-time NBA All-Star and two-time NBA champion — who was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2023 — starred on the basketball court for two decades, although these days in retirement he’s now more focused on his time on the golf course.
The 7-footer picked up golf later in life and has been a quick learner. He’s a 9.3 handicap and plays a ton; he has 15 posted scores to his handicap in October alone.
He’s also played in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am three times, and the first time he entered the event it was just his second year of playing golf.
7-footer Pau Gasol’s next chapter? Mastering golf (and finding clubs that fit)
By:
Josh Sens
Gasol was the guest on this week’s Subpar podcast, where much of the conversation focused on his golf game. He also was asked, as an amateur golfer, if he gets nervous playing in front of people or on TV at something like the Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
He had an interesting answer. It’s also one any golfer (or athlete) can learn from.
“I love playing in front of people; I’m used to playing in front of people,” Gasol said. “So actually playing in front of people brings the best out of me, or it makes me focus. It gives me that adrenaline — the interaction, the engagement with the fans, that’s what I’m more used to. So I love it. It didn’t create a negative effect on me. While some people would tighten up or get nervous or be like, Ah, I don’t want to hit a bad shot or I don’t want to hit anybody, that doesn’t register. That doesn’t go in my head, in my brain. I’m going to lock up, I’m going to hit a great shot.
“You do get nervous, which I like,” he continued. “I like doing things that make me nervous. Because I think making you nervous makes you feel alive. Whenever you are nervous it means this matters to you. So you should actually do more things that make you feel that way, because it means you care about what you are doing.”
Gasol said some of the nerves get to him at night and might even wake him up as he’s thinking about an opening tee shot or swing thought. But he’s learned to like it.
“When I was playing basketball at the highest level and in the biggest games, I did not wake up or did not get the same rest that I’m not able to get when I play some of these tournaments,” he said. “So it’s kind of cool.”
For more from Gasol, including his thoughts on what he learned from playing with Kobe Bryant, the evolution of his golf game and more, click here to listen to the podcast or watch on YouTube below.
