NBA's Pau Gasol launches new book on success and leadership

Success and leadership are the main subjects of a new book by top Catalan basketball player, Pau Gasol. The Catalan who plays for the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA was in Barcelona to present the autobiography 'Sota la cistella' (Under the Hoop) on Thursday.

During the press conference held at the HQ of publisher Penguin Random House, in the Catalan capital, Gasol defined a leader as someone who is "capable of winning a group's trust and capable of getting the group to follow him or her voluntarily."

Gasol also said it is important "to keep one's feet on the ground," and he said that he manages that by "looking for stability" among all the facets of his life," and by "disconnecting" through reading, music, traveling and nature.

Gasol also warned that one can "lose a leadership position" if "actions do not reflect the words." Asked for examples from Catalonia and Spain, Gasol mentioned cardiologist Valentí Fuster, his brother Marc Gasol, tennis player Rafael Nadal, and tenor Plácido Domingo.

The book written in the first person by Gasol, with "the support of the publisher," recounts episodes that have helped take him to the top of the sporting world, although Gasol said that the ideas in the book are "applicable to anyone and can help to open their eyes."

The 38-year-old NBA player, who will begin his 18th season in the US league, said that at perhaps some time in the future he could publish "some deeper and more personal memories that reveal more private things."