Being a star pro basketballer involves more than just being the best on the hardwood. It’s about being a leader off court, which often involves engaging in acts of kindness, like taking the team out for a trip, or at the very least, buying them all dinner. Pau Gasol took this role seriously, as Derrick White, his former teammate, recently revealed his classic ‘veteran’ moment.
Advertisement
Long before becoming a cult-hero at the Celtics, White was drafted by the San Antonio Spurs in 2017, which was also when Gasol was with the team. During one particular team dinner at a steakhouse, second-year player Bryn Forbes was the one tasked with paying the bill, just for fun, as often happens between the richer NBA talents.
But Forbes, still early in his career, was likely not a multimillionaire like Gasol, Manu Ginobili, and Co. So, the Spaniard, showing class, stepped in, as White narrated on the White Noise podcast.
“We had a team dinner, and there was a joke where Bryn was going to pay for it, and Pau was like, ‘No.’ Bryn was second year at the time. He’s like, ‘You would never pay for a dinner. This is my responsibility as the vet.’ That was cool,” recalled White.
NBA teams don’t go to ordinary steakhouses for dinners. Their outings end up costing thousands of dollars, if not more, which is why Gasol realized just how difficult it would be for someone like Bryn. Hence, he pulled the vet card.
For sure, it was heartwarming to see Gasol, a man with a kind reputation in the NBA, be so understanding. A veteran must have done the same for him when he was young, which is why he just wanted to pass it forward. Or maybe he simply did not like the idea of making a youngster pay. But what he did not realize was that he, too, had inadvertently become part of the joke.
Bryn was not actually paying. The responsibility was not Gasol’s either. It was head coach Gregg Popovich’s.
“It was a joke, cause it was Pop actually paying for it, but Bryn had his card. We went to a steakhouse, and everybody was there. Pop heard about it and gave Bryn his card. Bryn was gonna pay for it, but Pau was like, ‘No way! What?!'”
“Pop paid for it,” added White to clear up any confusion.
What originally started as a fun prank turned into a show of kindness. Pau proved that he was ready to teach his younger teammates a generosity that would hopefully rub off on them in the right way.
Sure, Pop ended up with the bill, which is just as much a positive reflection on him. But this is what it means to be in the NBA. You want to build chemistry that will be remembered long after the final buzzer sounds in the fourth.
White laughed at the moment, but it was clear the lesson had been learned. At some point, there will be a new star on the Celtics, or on whichever team White plays for, and he will get to pass down the same good deed that his elders did for him.
