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I was a different kind of kid. Pau always knew what he wanted. He was really good at school, really responsible. I was more of a loose cannon, honestly. I was running around and outside, and getting into a little trouble more than anything. But always in a good way. It was never my fault. It was the other guy. I was just there.

Marc Gasol

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That's how I was taught my whole life. Like when you get a bad wheel, you got a sprained ankle, whatever you have, go find a way. Give your maximum or your highest percentage possible, for the best of the team. So that's the way I was always raised as far as basketball goes. And everything in life, but for sure basketball.

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Basketball is about relationships. The bond that you create by playing together, going through battles together. The trust that you build goes a long way. It goes beyond the game of basketball.

Trust Relationship You

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Sport's about patience and keep working no matter the outcome.

Work Patience Working

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Every loss, every defeat is tough in its own way.

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I've made pretty much every mistake you can make as a young man, eating and drinking the wrong things at the wrong times.

Time Young Man Young

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I make gazpacho with a little bit of bread, so it's thicker, and I like it to be more tomato- and green pepper-based. Everyone has their own preferences, of course. But I think my gazpacho is the best.

Wit Very Tomato

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Homemade gazpacho tastes different than any gazpacho you can buy because you know exactly how much time it took for each plant to mature. That's why I would encourage buying at a farmers' market or at Whole Foods, because it comes straight from the source to your table.

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What the game gives you, you've got to take it.

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For as much respect and love as we have for this game, there are other things things in our lives that are important to us, too.

Respect Love Us

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Gardening does so much for your brain. You're learning how a process works, and how important it is to do everything right so that you can eventually enjoy a tomato three months later. I've always been patient, but gardening really helps you with that.

Work Learning Gardening

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I could always shoot and pass.

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You really watch basketball and study basketball, the more you realize, the pass really is beautiful. I'm not just talking about the pass where you look away or anything. Just the right pass at the right time to get somebody open is just beautiful. There is nothing better than that. It's contagious - it makes everybody happy.

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Obviously, for my line of work, I cannot eat barbecue that often. It takes a little bit to digest and it's not the healthiest thing to eat.

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You just need to be happy, and once you're happy with yourself then you can do more things.

Yourself Yours Your

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The older you get the more you realize that life is more than just basketball. Your vision of the world gets much wider, and you're not the centre of it no more. You understand that you're a moving part and that you have other responsibilities.

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I like to communicate, to share the ball.

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If you only take money in the bank and never put money in the bank, you'll go broke.

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I really want to live longer. It's a goal of mine.

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I like the Patagonia in Argentina.

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I'm team-first.

You can't change what Memphis means to me, what Memphis has meant to me. It's a special place for me. There's no doubt.

You can be selfish by being too unselfish at times.

The whole process of trying to win a ring, it's beautiful.

The way I grew up was making the right play every time.

I think once I had my kids that kind of made it like, 'Look, you have to be the best you can be so they have a good example at home.' You want to give them the best food, what's best for them.

When you're young, you make mistakes. But eventually you learn from them.

I listen to rap, reggae, Nirvana and Guns N' Roses.

I was just having fun because everybody was so much shorter than me. Honestly, my stats in high school were ridiculous. They made no sense.

You have pretty much the same fan base in Memphis, year over year the same group. We watched teenagers in the stands become parents. You'd see little kids become young men and women. Those relationships mean much more than just basketball.

I was a different kind of kid. Pau always knew what he wanted. He was really good at school, really responsible. I was more of a loose cannon, honestly. I was running around and outside, and getting into a little trouble more than anything. But always in a good way. It was never my fault. It was the other guy. I was just there.

Athletes are moved - human beings are moved - by challenges.

It's never been about me... It's a team sport. It's basketball. It's not how good you are, it's how good your team is.

Everybody that's come to Memphis has been welcome with open arms.

As an athlete, if you train your body but don't fuel it the right way, that doesn't make much sense. Adopting a plant-based diet with the right amount of proteins that came from the right places was the way to go. I also just love gardening.

Being young and dumb, honestly, you pick up some bad habits.

If I'm not on the floor, I'm not valued.

I'm more on the country side than big cities.

A homegrown tomato, you're never going to taste anything like it. There is nothing close to it, the sweetness. And strawberries: The ones you get in the store are so hard; but you get a homegrown strawberry, it just melts, I'm telling you.

I don't know how many Michelin stars Barcelona has, but you don't have to spend big money to eat great.

When you see the floor and you understand the game and you're trying to break it down with what you have in front of you, you can do it offensively and defensively. And you try to take advantage of it both ways. You see where the offense's head is and you can kind of read what you want to do.

I didn't care about the draft. I didn't want to do the workouts - they put you in two-on-two full-court drills with guards. That's not going to help me.

That's the only way I know how to play - dedicating yourself to the game, to the city, to the fans.

When I see somebody, I try to beat him on both ends of the floor. It's the game within the game that you've always got to win. That's always been my mindset. That's how I was taught how to play the game. That's how I learned. And that's what I enjoy.

Just because it says 'zero calories' or 'sugar free' or 'fat free' doesn't mean it actually is good for you. It's a way to get you. Just make sure that you know. We think that we can put stuff in our body. Just know how it affects you.

I just try to compete every night.

I had the worst habits that you could imagine. Pizza, burgers, even a little bit of sweets.

Nothing guarantees a championship. Nothing. Not having the best players, not practicing the most. Your best chance is if you do the right thing every day.

What matters to me is that we win games and we do our jobs.

Where I'm from, we don't take shots over two guys. When someone is doubled, it's the next man's job to take the shot and make it.

Big guys are Great Danes. We don't last very long.