Pau Gasol to be featured Tuesday on HBO’s ‘Real Sports’

Those looking for behind-the-scenes drama on how Pau Gasol handled ongoing trade speculation won’t find it on HBO’s “Real Sports.” Those hoping for more explanations on his unraveling in the 2011 NBA playoffs won’t find answers on the critically acclaimed series, either.

Instead, Gasol’s segment featured Tuesday night focuses on his multifaceted interests.

It mentions how Magic Johnson’s announcement in 1991 that he had HIV inspired Gasol to go to medical school: “I wish I could do something in the future to cure this disease.”

It explains why Gasol ultimately chose basketball over pursuing a medical career: “If it doesn’t work, we’ll find out soon. It’s not like it’ll take five years to find out.”

The episode presents vivid behind-the-scene footage of when he visited with Isabelle Shattuck, a teenage girl whom Gasol witnessed have extensive spinal surgery two years ago: “To see a human alive and [watch the doctors] open the spine up and perform what they’re performing in front of my eyes is amazing.”

There’s some cool footage of Pau and his brother, Marc, playing cards and playfully teasing each other. There are pictures of a young Pau without facial hair. There’s a sprinkling of details about his varied interests, which include playing the piano, reading historical novels and attending operas.

None of the story hits on anything related to this season. Nor does it break any new ground that hasn’t already been mentioned about Gasol. But it’s still cool to see the complete story since it vividly captures what Gasol is like as a player and a man.

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