Exclusive Q&A: Pau Gasol in Conversation With Prince Harry for BetterUp, Lakers' Championship Hopes, and More

The two-time NBA champion talks peak performance, his favorite "under-the-radar" players to watch, and JJ Redick.

Pau Gasol with BetterUp / Courtesy of BetterUp

For many years Pau Gasol was at the forefront of the basketball world as a two-time champion with the Los Angeles Lakers and a mainstay of international competition, leading his home country of Spain to three Olympic medals. Now retired, Gasol is the President of Gasol16 Ventures and the Gasol Foundation. His latest partnership is with BetterUp, the largest mental health and coaching startup in the world dedicated to helping people "live their lives with greater clarity, purpose, and passion."

As part of the partnership Gasol was interviewed by BetterUp's Chief Impact Officer, Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex. Released on Thursday, Gasol reveals in the interview his advice for maintaining peak performance and how he finds his "flow", a state of complete focus and absorption in an activity. In a wide-ranging conversation, Gasol also touches upon his basketball journey, his time as Kobe Bryant's teammate, the importance of chemistry, battling and overcoming fatigue, and more. The interview can be viewed here for non-BetterUp members.

Gasol spoke exclusively with Sports Illustrated about his work with BetterUp, his experience speaking with Prince Harry, and moments from his basketball career that reflect the mission of BetterUp. Additionally, Gasol touched upon the upcoming Lakers' season, Victor Wembanyama, and more basketball storylines from this year.

Pau Gasol and Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex / Courtesy of BetterUp

Sports Illustrated: Why did you decide to work with BetterUp?

Pau Gasol: In our toughest and most challenging moments, I believe it is important to have a coach – a trusted voice who understands what you’re going through – to provide an objective perspective and help you break through any barriers that might be standing in your way. 

BetterUp is one of the inventors and pioneers of virtual coaching, and as someone who attributes so much of my career success to the phenomenal coaches I’ve had throughout the years, I loved the idea that BetterUp was offering a similar resource for employees, leaders and organizations worldwide. In the same way a coach and player relationship is vital to success on and off the court, BetterUp understands the pivotal relationship between organizations and their employees, and what is needed to drive successful results

SI: What about the company's mission appealed most to you?

PG: During my basketball career, I learned how intertwined the body and mind are. As important as physical fitness and health are, that is only one part of the equation. Your emotional well-being also plays an equally important role in your success and what you can accomplish. Someone can be at the top of their game physically, but if their mind isn’t where it needs to be, they’re leaving a lot of potential performance on the table. BetterUp doesn’t just understand this concept – they make it their mission to help people tap into that potential and reach peak performance through the coaching they provide their members. I think it’s important that people see the connection between body and mind, and I believe BetterUp is helping bring attention to that, which is a mission I want to support.

Coaching in the corporate world was traditionally seen as something reserved for executives. What I love about BetterUp is their approach to coaching the entire workforce, because everyone has the desire to learn and the need to grow. I also believe companies have realized that, to continue growing and performing at a high level, they need to coach and empower every single one of their employees.

SI: You've sat through many, many interviews over the course of your career. What was it like to be interviewed by Prince Harry?

PG: I had a wonderful time chatting with Prince Harry. He’s an extremely accomplished individual, and has done a lot for the world of sports through his work with the Invictus Games Foundation. He is someone who, like me, is dedicated to service and understands the role of mental fitness in overall performance. During my interview with him, I talked about how I sustained flow and peak performance during a game. Everything I talked about can be applied in the workplace when someone is facing a loss in flow or motivation. It was a great conversation that really resonated with me.

SI: Is there one particular experience or part of your NBA career that you feel showcases the sort of teamwork and resilience you spoke about with Prince Harry? 

PG: I would say our championship in 2010 is a perfect example of the teamwork and resilience we discussed. Heading into Game 6, we were down 2-3 against the Celtics, and knew that one more loss would be our last of the season. That Celtics team was unreal, with three guys who went on to the Hall of Fame. We were all exhausted, but we had to be ready to battle and take this series to the full seven games. As a team, we continued to practice, strategize, and dig deep to pull out all the possible energy we could for this stretch. As you know, we went on to win the final two games of the series and take home our second NBA Championship in a row. It’s hard to win a championship, and even harder to win two back-to-back championships, but having to overcome a deficit requires tremendous resilience, as well as physical and mental intensity. 

That’s the sort of success BetterUp tries to help organizations set themselves up for – the kind where leaders are able to help every member of a team reach their full potential. 

SI: What strategies did you rely upon most as a basketball player when experiencing burnout, or losing your "flow"?

PG: One of the most important things to achieve maximum performance, what we’re describing here as flow, is to make sure that you take care of everything else in your life or around your life. That gives you the ability to focus and give your best to your professional career. 

That means taking care of yourself outside of your profession, being in the right place emotionally, finding good balance – all of this will help you get to that high-performance state. Trusting the amount of work and preparation that you put in before a big game, a big challenge or a big moment also allows you to find that calmness and confidence in your delivery, which is so important to flow.

And then, also, having good leadership and great teammates who are moving in the same direction with you, who are cultivating the same mindset as you are, is also very, very important. You push each other and you hold each other accountable, you motivate each other on a daily basis to face critical moments where high performance will be needed to overcome adversity, and you work together to overcome tough competition.

SI: What do the Lakers need to do in order to return to regular championship contention, as they were when you were on the roster?

PG: I think the Lakers, just like any team that wants to contend for the championship, need to have a great season from beginning to end. They have to become a great defensive team, or establish themselves as a great defensive team, because that’s what’s going to separate them from their competitors. 

They also have to stay healthy. They have a core of players now that have played together for a couple of seasons, but health will be, I think, one of the biggest difference-makers for this team – starting with their main players and going down to key role players.

Speaking of role players, I think that the biggest issue last season was not having key role players able to contribute throughout the season. The competition is very high in this league and details – like having healthy role players – really make a difference when it comes to winning a championship.

SI: What do you think of the Lakers' decision to hire JJ Redick?

PG: Without knowing too much about the decision, I think they trust that JJ can lead this group. I think that when you look for a coach, you look for someone who players will respect, will follow. You want someone who will move players to buy into his philosophy and what he’s trying to do with the team. I think the Lakers feel that JJ is that person. I wish him, the coaching staff and the team a great season. I’m sure that since JJ joined the team, everyone has been working hard to make sure that they set themselves up for success. I look forward to seeing his impact on the team this season. 

SI: Victor Wembanyama is about to embark upon his second NBA season. Looking back, what did your first NBA season teach you, and how much of a leap do you believe we should expect from the Spurs star?

PG: Yeah, what a great rookie season Victor had! I think after the first season, you want to consider how you can continue to grow and continue to establish yourself as a great player, first for your team and then within the league. I learned that the best way to do that is to focus on working and getting better on a daily basis. So, it’s important to continue to learn from your teammates, from your coaches. Continue to be a great student of the game and put in the work. That’s what makes you a better player. 

Victor has great potential still, so I’m sure he will continue to improve. He’s extremely young still, and I am sure he’ll impress us all going forward. I’m pretty confident he will improve upon his first season, which was magnificent. 

SI: What's it been like to watch the international basketball scene bloom in the wake of a very competitive Olympics and seemingly more star power than ever coming into the NBA from overseas?

PG: Yeah, it was a great summer for basketball, a great summer for the growth of the game. We saw fantastic Olympic tournaments. I was just excited to see how well the teams played, how much the game continues to grow, and how international the game has become. The game was already so international, but it was great to see it continue to go in the right direction. That is just fantastic for the game, not just for the NBA and even the WNBA, but also for international leagues and tournaments. 

So, there’s great momentum right now for basketball, and that should continue. Now the question is: In the next five, ten, twenty years, what will be the percentage of international players? How will that continue to grow? 

It’s amazing that some of the best players in the world are international. It’s not a secret – the latest figures in the NBA have shown that, and many MVP candidates and MVP winners are international, were born outside the US. And I think that’s a wonderful thing for the game. It’s just very exciting, this moment and the future of our game.

SI: Who is your favorite "under-the-radar" player to watch in the NBA today?

PG: There are a couple of young players, I don’t know if they are “under-the-radar” or not. They’re maybe in smaller markets where the team just does not provide the exposure, recognition and coverage, let’s say, that big-market teams might. 

I guess I’d start with Alperen Sengun from Houston. He is a really young player, he is playing at a high level and I think, if he continues to grow, he will become even a better player.

Then, I have always enjoyed watching young players that I also played with, like Dejounte Murray, who is going to be with New Orleans this season, and that could be an exciting and a great fit for him. Let’s see how he can help that team. 

I also love watching Derrick White. He has also been a great addition for the Boston Celtics and a key player for them. 

And another young player that I like watching, also very young, very talented, is Franz Wagner in Orlando. Paolo Banchero, also on that team, gets a lot of attention, but I think Franz is a fantastic player who probably doesn’t get the attention and credit he deserves. I think he is a great young player who still has a lot of potential to continue to become an even better player.

SI: In a game of 1-on-1 right now, who would win? You, or your brother, Marc?

PG: Whoever can finish the 1-on-1 game. At this point, I don’t think either of us is in very good basketball shape, so it would probably become more of a shooting game, which likely Marc has a better chance of winning. So yes, whoever can finish the game standing, I think would be the winner of that matchup.

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