Hosting the World Cup has its ups and downs, says Gasol.
Pau Gasol, the new FIBA Global Ambassador next to Argentina’s Luis Scola, knows the FIBA World Cup like the back of his hand, having played in it three times in his career. He also knows how it is to host FIBA’s flagship event, as he was part of La Roja when Spain hosted the 2014 edition.
“It’s gonna be extremely special [hosting the World Cup],” said Gasol in an exclusive interview with One Sports. “At the end of the day, it’s a very unique experience for players, for the staff, for the national federation, and for the fans.”
But believe it or not, hosting the World Cup has its downsides, too, according to Gasol. And chief among them is the sky-high expectations on the host team—and that will be Gilas Pilipinas for the 2023 edition. Meaning, whoever will make the final cut for the national squad will have to take to heart Gasol’s advice.
“You have to, as a player, manage that excitement because it could be overwhelming, it could be distracting. And you want it to fuel you, you want it to motivate you, but you don’t want it to distract you from the game itself,” Gasol explained.
“It will be challenging, it will be exciting for the Filipino players, but at the same time, they’re gonna have to manage that excitement because it’s not easy to handle that and to be successful and to move forward,” he added.
Gasol also emphasized that expectations are always very high for the host team, and in turn, these could "lead to bigger disappointment" if the hosts are unable to meet them. That was precisely the case with Spain back in 2014, when they were upset in the quarterfinals by France, thus keeping Gasol and company out of a podium finish.
From what he said, hosting the World Cup begins to sound like a curse, but the 2-time NBA champion clarified that it is still a blessing—and potentially rewarding.
“At the same time, [the bigger the expectations], the bigger the opportunity to actually make history,” Gasol emphasized. “It’s really exciting. Just embrace it, enjoy it, but find a certain balance within the whole thing. “