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Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz Mark Spaniard Pau Gasol’s Latest Post-Retirement Hobby

Published 03/03/2024, 12:19 AM EST

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Many professional athletes, from Rafael Nadal to Carlos Alcaraz to Pau Gasol, gravitate towards the lavish green golf courses. However, while he has been on the links many times, this NBA legend now loves spending his time there. The former Los Angeles Lakers‘ star Pau Gasol began his journey with golf long ago, but he only debuted last year in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Apparently, while he enjoys more than five rounds of practice a week, another athlete from his national country is the reason why Gasol’s swings and putts have improved significantly.

Taking to his Instagram account, Pau Gasol re-shared 22x Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal’s story. Enjoying their time out in the sun at the Shadow Creek Golf Course, Nadal, upcoming tennis sensation Carlos Alcaraz, and the 2x NBA champion took a much-deserved break. However, it did look like Gasol has put in some additional minutes to his post-retirement hobby.

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Rafael Nadal and Pau Gasol have also previously made headlines for putting their golfing skills to the test together. In fact, they raised funds together as a part of the solidarity initiative some time back. The friendly competition was between the Santander and the Gasol Foundation to counteract child obesity.

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Apart from this, the two are very close friends and often like to hang out together. Further, the late Kobe Bryant‘s former teammate is the ambassador for many sports organizations worldwide, including the FIBA and the NBA.

2x Olympic silver medalist Pau Gasol has religiously been practicing chipping and putting ever since his debut in Monterey.

Pau Gasol ‘swings’ by the golf course

Coming from Spain, the 2x NBA champion didn’t much notice the sport of golf during his playing days. However, like many professional athletes, Gasol quickly took interest in the ultimate gentleman’s game after his retirement in 2021.

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His appearance at the pro-am tournament AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am was an example of his skills with the clubs. His professional partner for the event was Emiliano Grillo. The two tied for the 6th spot on the amateurs leaderboard in February. The NBA star also proved that he had the potential to get even better at it.

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The 7-foot athlete described himself at the link. Gasol admitted that while his length is a plus, golf remains a game of accuracy. He also added, “I think it’s better to be closer to the ground.” Do you agree with Pau Gasol’s statement?

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Written by:

Srashti Sharma

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Srashti Sharma is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports, known for her in-depth researching skills. From the very first time that she heard about Kobe Bryant, she herself cultivated a Mamba Mentality. She loves the competitive nature of the sport which fuels her inner sportswoman.
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Edited by:

Aakash Nair