Basketball player Marc Gasol has defined his involvement in Bàsquet Girona as the desire to promote a project and return something to his sport: “I decided to invest in people, invest in teams, invest in what has given me so much given to me that it is basketball “.
The new Los Angeles Lakers player said this in an interview with CaixaBank’s financial culture program ‘Much to Do’, which disseminates basic financial concepts for developing personal projects.
Gasol presides over the Club Bàsquet Girona, a city where it began to consolidate before playing in the NBA: the project began in 2014 with the Club Escola de Bàsquet (CEB) Marc Gasol, and teams were formed; in 2016 the name of the city was added (Escola Gasàs Girona Marc Gasol) and in the 2017-18 season only the name of the city was retained.
The city of Girona meant a lot to him, which is why they decided to promote a new proposal “after several basketball projects that had not worked in the city”.
The importance of people
He said that his experience in trying to build something that lasts came from a very thoughtful decision and the advantage of having valid people by his side who work in the day to day: “They give me a lot of peace of mind. They live the club as I live it, we have the same values, and they help me a lot “.
He considers the project an investment for the boys of the club, not only in the field of sports, but to instill healthy habits and awareness for their studies and to focus on their future: “It enriches me a lot emotionally and helps me to learn a lot of new things from them. “
“We put a lot of effort into passing on to the youngest what we’ve learned,” he added, recalling how, at just 23, he tried his luck in the NBA leaving behind his home and career.
“It was going to another city, away from your people. Another kind of basketball. A very abrupt change,” though he acknowledges that the risk was moderate because he had already lived and played in the United States in high school, when The Memphis Grizzlies signed his brother Paul.
UPF Barcelona School of Management professor Xavier Puig has concluded that profitability involves taking risks, in finance but also in life: “The more risk is assumed, the more profitability is demanded. And the more profitability is desired, the more risk must be taken “.
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