Pau Gasol wins the 2015 Magic Johnson Award for graciousness with the media
In a world full of fussin’ and fightin’, we call can agree on the fact that Chicago Bulls center Pau Gasol is a really swell sort of guy.
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Gasol was recognized as such on Wednesday, winning the Pro Basketball Writers’ Association’s Magic Johnson award for acting as the “player who best combines excellence on the court with cooperation and dignity in dealing with media and fans.”
Pau, who made the 2015 All-Star team in his first year with Chicago, was characteristically gracious upon receiving the trophy. From his meeting with the press, via K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune:
“I just try to be helpful. I try to help other people do their jobs well,” Gasol said. “I understand my position and that this is a part of our jobs. So I always try to be kind and polite, even when I’m not feeling great or I might be upset because of the loss. I understand that it’s still part of my job to be one of the team’s leaders and role models to stand up and share my thoughts when I need.”
“It’s easy to be friendly. It’s easy to be kind,” Gasol said. “It rubs off on people, so you want to balance out the negatives in the world with some positives. So that’s what I try to do.”
Gasol frequently gives postgame interviews in English and Spanish, he is a consistently thoughtful quote, and he typically enlightening without resorting to either sarcasm or pablum. His earnestness also makes him a must-follow on Twitter:
Pau’s work with UNICEF has been documented thoroughly in these pages, he’s been beloved by teammates both past and present, and while his relationship with the press if far from of paramount importance, it’s nice to have a guy like him in the ranks. Sam Smith, a Basketball Hall of Famer and former PBWA president, explained as much at Bulls.com:
Gasol is a truly remarkable man. Every game this season, win or lose, good game or bad, Gasol has been there to speak with reporters. He can be political at times, though always earnest and thoughtful. He’ll be critical, but never personal. Which the great majority of reporters respect. The reporter seeking to undermine the player or team is the aberration, though they are present at times. Most are satisfied to be the intermediaries for the public, basically doing their jobs. Gasol understands, and it’s not disingenuous when he basically always thanks reporters after interviews for their questions.
Pau Gasol averaged 18.5 points, 11.8 rebounds, 2.7 steals and 1.9 blocks per game this season. Sometimes when I have trouble sleeping I visualize hitting him with an entry pass He made his fifth All-Star team this season at age 34, and other finalists for the award included Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors, Manu Ginobili of the San Antonio Spurs, LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers.
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Kelly Dwyer is an editor for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KDonhoops
