Gasol Honored for Media Presence

Ahead of Game 3 against the Bucks, Pau Gasol was named the winner of this year's Magic Johnson Award.  The Professional Basketball Writers Association gives the award to the player who performs best on the court and also excels in cooperating with the media.  Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Manu Ginobili and Damian Lillard were the other finalists.

From the moment Gasol was introduced in Chicago, he has conducted himself with nothing but class.  Maybe it has something to do with being older or maybe it's because he's always felt the need to give the media what they want.  Whatever it is, Bulls fans shouldn't be prouder of him.  While others are skeptical with the media, even conducting freeze outs at times, Gasol refuses to shun anybody and always treats those around him with respect.

It's incredibly easy in this day and age for professional athletes to not trust reporters.  At a time when everything gets increasingly scrutinized, players might be afraid to say how they really feel about a certain issue.  One wrong statement means countless analysis by anyone with a keyboard who has an opinion.  Gasol is not the controversial type and will never give anybody reason to think badly of him.

If that's not enough, he takes the time to relay a message to fans on social media before every game and if the Bulls win, he'll write another message to keep everyone feeling positive.  Anyone who declares to be a fan of the guy should walk with pride.  This is the kind of player and person you should look up to.  Why more players don't conduct themselves with this type of class is baffling.

There's yet another reason I feel so strongly about this.  One of my classmates at DePaul is a Spanish reporter named Teresa Garcia Alonso.  She works for a publication called Marca and got a chance to interview Gasol shortly before the playoffs.  The whole thing is in Spanish, so I ran the transcript through Google Translate.

When talking with me about speaking to Gasol, she had great things to say about him.  If you watch the video, you'll notice he seems genuinely interested in what she's asking.  The enthusiasm the two of them share is sure to brighten your face, even if you don't speak the language.  That should say it all about the man he is.

Gasol is perhaps the greatest free-agent acquisition in Bulls history, and they were lucky to sign a first-class individual in the process.  When someone can provide excellence both on and off the court, you want that player on your roster.  Hopefully, that can rub off on his teammates and they can all conduct themselves with such class.  If anything, having Gasol is a real learning experience.

Congratulations, Pau.  Keep up the respect and don't ever stop.  You'll never lose fans if you do that.  You'll only gain them.