Before being a legend of the hardwood, Pau Gasol was ready to follow in his parents’ footsteps, all due to Magic Johnson. A 11-year-old Pau wanted to find a cure for AIDS to help his hero and the Lakers legend. Since his parents were already medical professionals, that option seemed a no-brainer. Decades later, he may not be a medical marvel, yet the principle of helping others remains paramount, as evident in his various efforts, particularly the latest one.

In 2013, alongside his brother, the Gasol Foundation came into existence. Their main mission is to eradicate childhood obesity. A few months ago, the legends of other sports too joined him and helped him with the cause. Continuing their mission of helping, the foundation collaborated with other charities to support underserved students with school supplies. “We are proud to support students in Los Angeles. Education is the foundation of strong 💪🏻 communities“.

How did the 2x NBA champion pitch in directly? Listen to the team that was on the ground. “Hey guys, we’re Raíces Con Voz. And we’re the foos in medicine. And with the help of the community, we’ve been able to raise over 3,000 school supplies. Thanks to the Gasol Foundation, we have over 400 Lakers jerseys. And we helped over 500 students. Together with Khalsa Aid, we were able to package and deliver all these supplies to the underserved students in the LA area.”

Multiple organizations came in to help more than 500 students with important school supplies. One of them was the Khalsa Aid USA, which remarkably has $0 liabilities and total assets worth $8.89 million as per the 2023 report from ProPublica.org. The other driving force was the Gasol Foundation, as the 45-year-old never makes it feel it’s a task for him to help others. For context, it was back in 2014 when he played for the Bulls. It was during the 2014 season, he played 86 minutes through back-to-back games and was obviously the highest scorer for the team on both nights.

One would expect any player to stretch their leg and avoid any more travel. But that’s not Pau Gasol. “It’s about my commitment to children and organizations that are doing so much good for children and their families,” explained Gasol. “I told Lurie’s I would go because it was a scheduled day off. Of course, I didn’t anticipate the double overtime game (on Tuesday versus the Mavericks).” Not flinching from his commitment is a personality trait that even required 3.5 years of his time–and he did.

Pau Gasol used another course and got help from other legends

“Today we have presented the Longitudinal STEPS Study together with the @gasolfoundation team, our collaborating entities and the Minister of Health, @monicagarciag_,” he wrote. “For 3 and a half years, we have followed the evolution of boys, girls, and teenagers in Spain.” This study helped them talk about how serious the childhood obesity crisis had become. Physical inactivity in children is one of the leading global risk factors and plays a major role in the rising obesity crisis, as per the World Health Organization.

To be a leader and talk via actions, Pau Gasol was on the golf course, and he was not alone. The Gasol Foundation Golf Invitational was held at the scenic La Hacienda Links Golf Resort in southern Spain. What made it more beautiful was the number of luminaires stepped up. From tennis legend Rafael Nadal, to soccer icons Alvaro Morata and Marcos Alonso, and golf pros Alvaro Quiros and Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano, all came in to support. A report suggested that 1 in 3 kids in Spain is facing childhood obesity.

So, being the heroes and icons, the stars came in together to raise awareness and funds at Pau Gasol’s behest. The Lakers legend also said, “This tournament was created with a clear purpose—to raise funds to continue promoting our mission of preventing childhood obesity through the promotion of healthy lifestyle habits.” So, be it in Spain, Los Angeles, or Chicago, one can find the 45-year-old on his toes, helping others.