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 — played on the basketball court for two decades, though these days in retirement he’s now more focused on his time on the golf course.
The 7-footer took up golf later in life and he was a fast learner. He is a 9.3 handicap and plays a ton; he has 15 points posted on his handicap in October alone.
He has also played in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am three times, and the first time he entered the event was just his second year playing golf.
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The next chapter of 7-foot Pau Gasol? Mastering the Golf (and Finding the Clubs That Fit)
Josh Sens
Gasol was this week’s guest Subpar podcastwhere most of the conversation focused on his golf game. He was also asked, as an amateur golfer, if he gets nervous playing in front of people or on TV in something like the Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
He had an interesting answer. It’s also one that any golfer (or athlete) can learn from.
“I like playing in front of people; I’m used to playing in front of people,” Gasol said. “So actually, playing in front of people brings out the best in me, or it makes me focus. It gives me that adrenaline rush – the interaction, the engagement with the fans, that’s what I’m used to the most. So I like it. It didn’t create a negative effect on me. Whereas some people would cringe or get nervous or be like. Ah, I don’t want to take a bad shot OR I don’t want to hit anyonewhich is not registered. This doesn’t go in my head, in my brain. I’m going to close, I’m going to hit a great shot.
“You get nervous, which I like,” he continued. “I like doing things that make me edgy. Because I think edgy makes you feel alive. Whenever you’re edgy it means that it matters to you. So you should actually do more things that make you feel that way, because it means you care about what you’re doing.”
Gasol said some of the nerves get to him at night and can even wake him up while he’s thinking about an opening tip shot or a wobbly thought. But he’s used to liking it.
“When I was playing basketball at the highest level and in the biggest games, I didn’t wake up or get the same rest that I don’t 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 to YouTube below.
