• World Cup of the United States
  • Spain. And when the triples do not enter, what?
  • Opinion Day of obcecation, but of victory, by Vicente Salaner

Just over a year ago, in July 2018, Marc Gasol ventured aboard the Open Arms. It was not a gesture towards the gallery: that terrible night they rescued two bodies from the Mediterranean and saved the life of Cameroonian Josephine . The image went around the world and forever removed its insides.

The pivot loves to talk about his children, about Julia and little Luca , about the World Cup in liza and, of course, about the newly conquered ring with the Raptors. But it is the drama of the migrants or the political landscape that, from the second floor of the Hilton Tianhe hotel in Guangzhou, ignites his speech, turns it into passion. That chubby teenager who starred in a world gold 11 years ago is today a historic basketball player and a type of the most committed.

The pressure of the athlete compared to that of survival on the high seas. Does it get too cold? The pressure is because you really want it, illusion. You know there is work of many people behind. You want to give joys. You lose and you go home pissed off. It affects the relationship with your wife, with your children, with everyone. But it depends on the prism from which you see it. Basketball is not the center of the world. If you put it on another scale, you think: "We are very, very good." What happens when you see human beings drifting in the middle of the sea? Many things. Doubts of the goodness of the people. How is anyone able to see a four-year-old boy in the middle of the night, after three days adrift, and leave him there. We can't let them die. In that case, the boy had already died and there was another body on board the inflatable. Then there was Josephine, still alive. Are we able to deliver someone alive to certain death? How do you tell these things? Did you feel prepared to face something like that? Unfortunately, we had to look for the bodies in the water, embark them in the Open Arms. You stabilize Josephine, because she looked like she was in hypothermia and it was difficult for her to get ahead. The work and willingness to help everyone there and what they felt ... makes you question certain things. But at the same time, it gives you brutal optimism. Saying, "Host, there are people who really care and are fighting." Then, that some people use all this to make politics or attack others ... In the end, the solution is not at that critical moment to save someone at sea. The solution is much earlier. Where? At the starting point: we have to get them to not start that trip. There is a very beautiful story, that of Ousman Omar, who is a Ghanaian who made all the way, crossed the desert, the Mediterranean, was saved by Open Arms and has now returned to Ghana where he has a Foundation called Feeding Minds (Feeding Minds) minds), which above all educates people not to undertake that journey. Because it is suicidal. He tells in his book that most of the companions who started that trip with him died. And you think of the power of education as a very powerful tool for these things not to happen. But once they are at sea we cannot look the other way, we cannot let them die, that is obvious. They are in a situation of maximum risk, they have lost a lot already and they have to be helped. Are you interested in politics? I have not yet fully understood it. Let's see how I explain this. It has a lot of power and can do a lot of good, but from respect. Sometimes, by their own will or desire to grow, other parts are attacked. I have not yet understood the objective of the political game, I play in quotes, because I know it has an impact on millions of people. But that goal is often blurred and I don't know all the rules. I am learning, not because I am interested, if not because it impacts society. And obviously, because politicians have many resources, we pay some important taxes. Politics could really improve and change society. Beyond the baskets, what else concerns you? The next generations. Philanthropically is what concerns me, either at the level of helping cancer research or thinking about the most disadvantaged areas of Spain. Give opportunities and empower young people, based on trust and inspiration. It is a speaker that athletes have and that we can use in a positive way. Did the ring satisfy him? I didn't feel empty because I didn't win it, but it filled me up more than I expected. I have always felt a fortunate person for doing what I do for a living. That there are people who like how I do it. But I didn't feel a void that I needed to fill. I have always been lucky, especially in the national team, to win. And a lot. Eight medals here is more than many get in their entire lives. There are people who dream of one, you have eight ... But the difficulty of winning the NBA ... is harder than I could imagine. He talked about a brutal effort during the final. Is it the mind that advances when you can't do it anymore? Yes, it's the mind, especially. Medicine (laughs), the work of physiotherapists ... And also the situation. You understand that it is a unique, historical opportunity, and that it only matters to win at that time. Anyway, I had to help the team. One day, if I was more successful, in scoring. Another in defense and generation of play for teammates ... Did he surprise himself? I was surprised, in general, the beauty of this sport. How he is able to put you in a mentally fucked up situation; to lose and the next day put you in a particular ecstasy to win. Clothe yourself in the companions, that they clothe themselves in you. Receive blows or joys as a group. What collective sport brings me, basketball, is ... I don't know, I like it very much. And what do you look for now in the World Cup, personally and sportively? Enjoy the experience, because sometimes we forget. The requirement goes in circles: first your own, then the group, the most immediate environment, then you, the press, the fans ... For all that it is difficult. You don't come here just to enjoy, but, knowing that you want the most and that you come with a big ambition, that's important. And because you don't know if there is going to be another World Cup. Or when. In addition, since 2017 we were not together and we miss him. He was severely criticized for being absent before the quarterfinal match at the 2014 World Cup, for the birth of his daughter. Have you had a thorn stuck since then? I would do it a thousand times. For me there are more important things than basketball. And if I have made something special in my life they are my children. They are the best, which requires more direct responsibility. Apart from that, she was the first girl, who carries extra emotion and tension. I would do it a thousand times [repeat, seriously]. I do not have any doubt. And it went wrong, huh. But you cannot make a decision thinking only of the consequences. Obviously, I had a risk. But you think what at that moment you think is the best. It is not to give more importance, but it was not a normal birth, neither for the mother nor for the girl. That's why I'm even more happy to have been there. Only Rudy and you are left with Saitama's gold. Do you see parallels, differences ... If there was anything in that group, it was a brutal trust. But not that we were going to win or be better, confident in the way we play basketball. There was a naturalness, a very large acceptance of roles. And more way done. In the selection now there are two blocks that have come together, and we are trying to get them together as much as possible. That block was more homogeneous, but for me that doesn't mean anything. There is always a starting point and this is ours. I have a lot of confidence in the one now, which is what concerns me. Navarro, his brother Pau and the legacy. Is that spoken or learned? DNA is commitment, always believing in the group, doing everything for the good of the team. That is really the legacy. The biggest responsibility we have to spend is not just to win, it depends on talent, the situation and a thousand things. Then that came together, Pau and Juan Carlos and a generation of a huge talent, because you win. But talent is not something controllable, it is subjective. The important thing that happened to us and what we have to go through is that, regardless of the talent you have, the commitment, loyalty and work have to be there. That is the biggest responsibility I feel, to pass those values ​​to the next generation. In the US, do you miss much of your commitment to Spain? It is different, we do not have enough closet bottoms to do without. Also, for us, since we were very young, being here is special. Think that the first concentration is at 12-13 years. I remember that before you got a letter home and when you sensed that it could arrive, every day you were in the mailbox. You asked the partner that you thought he could also go: 'Has it reached you? Do not? Ah okay, so they probably haven't sent them yet. ' And when it finally arrived, it made you very excited. That, transferred to 20 years later, that commitment, that illusion, that responsibility, you still have. In addition, you know that if you do not go, then obviously everything changes a little. Compare photos of your teenage and chubby past with the current ones, is it just a joke or does it have an objective? I try to inspire any kid, who at a certain age seems to be unable to do some things, to which everyone says "this you will never do" or "you should not devote yourself to this". Well, it's not like that. When someone tells you that you cannot do something, he does not tell you, he is telling himself. If you encourage, motivate and inspire, especially the youngest ones that I think are the most moldable and the ones that are most worth affecting, well, how good.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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  • Open arms
  • Marc Gasol
  • Rudy Fernandez
  • sports
  • Basketball World Cup 2019
  • Spanish Basketball Team
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