Queen of Sports

Pau Gasol Visits India As NBA Ambassador

Los Angeles Laker forward Pau Gasol is currently wrapping up a trip to India. The two-time NBA champions has been in Mumbai and Delhi for the last 5 days to help further the growth of basketball and the NBA in India.

The NBA has been making it’s mark in India this summer. Orlando Magic star center Dwight Howard was there from August 10th – 14th.

“I have always wanted to visit India and I am very excited to represent the Lakers and the NBA in a country where basketball is on the rise,” said Paul. “As an international player in the NBA, I know how important it is to do my part to grow the game globally and would love to compete against a player from India in the NBA one day.”

The Larry O’Brien championship trophy made the trip with Pau and he posed for pictures with fans and the trophy. On August 26th, Pau conducted a clinic for participants of the Mahindra NBA Challenge, the league’s first community-based basketball league in India, which started in Mumbai, Bangalore, and Ludhiana this summer and attracted thousands of participants.

On his final day in India, Pau will conduct a NBA Cares clinic for underprivileged children in Delhi.

Photos: PauGasol.com

Date Night At USA vs Spain Game

Yesterday, the USA played Spain as part of the World Championships at Caja Magica in Madrid, Spain and it seemed to be a popular date spot!

Los Angeles Laker forward Pau Gasol brought his girlfriend, cheerleader Silvia Lopez to the match and sitting just in front of them was Real Madrid soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo and his girlfriend, model Irina Shayk.

Athlete Sighting: Pau Gasol And Girlfriend In Spain

Pau Gasol and his girlfriend, Silvia Lopez, were spotted going out to lunch in Barcelona. Pau is such a gentleman, he opened the car door for her after the two locked lips. The paparazzi caught them making out in the midst of eating french fries at a restaurant in Barcelona. Lopez is a cheerleader, and the two met when she was cheering for his former club, FC Barcelona. They are both from Catalonia, Spain. What a cute couple. Where’s the ring, Pau?

Photo: Splash News

Pau Gasol…In The Recording Studio?

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Don’t worry, Pau Gasol is not trying to one-up Ron Artest and his rap career, he was in the studio singing for charity. Pau Gasol has been very active with UNICEF in raising awareness about the lack of education in Ethiopia, where only 20% of  kids attend school. We’re not sure he should pursue a career (or even hobby) in singing. At least not in public. But we love how much he gives back to our world!

Pau Gasol Raises Awareness For Pediatric Research

Yesterday Pau Gasol sported a uniform a little different than his normal purple and gold. He put on a pair of scrubs (special ordered for his height) and observed a ‘highly complex’ spinal surgery at the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles while an orthopedic surgeon corrected a 13-year old’s scoliosis. He visited the hospital in order to raise awareness  and support for pediatric research and medicine.

Photo: Business Wire

Want To Meet Pau Gasol?

Two-time NBA Champion and Los Angeles Laker forward Pau Gasol will be meeting with fans today at Niketown in Los Angeles.

Pau will be at the store from 5pm – 8pm. He’ll be participating in a Q & A and fans will have the opportunity to win fun prizes!

The meet and greet will take place at the Beverly Hills Niketown at 9560 Wilshire Blvd.

Celebs At Game 6 Of NBA Finals

Game 6 was do or die for the Lakers and Hollywood came out to support their team!

Longtime Laker fans Jack Nicholson, Andy Garcia, David Arquette, Wilmer Valderrama, Adam Levine, Leonardo DiCaprio and Penny Marshall were all in attendance.

New York Knicks fan Spike Lee sat courtside and singer Lenny Kravitz, Josh Brolin and Diane Lane, Brian Austin Green, Megan Fox were seen in the lower bowl.

Pop singer Christina Aguilera opened the festivities by singing the national anthem. And the girl can sing! Christina and her husband, Jordan Bratman, sat courtside for the rest of the game and made an appearance on the Kiss Me Cam during the 3rd quarter.

Former and current NBA players spotted in the crowd included Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, AC Green, Rick Fox, James Harden and Marc Gasol (Pau’s brother).

Besides Pau’s brother, both teams had family and loved ones at the game. Vanessa Bryant, wife of Kobe and their two daughters cheered on the Lakers. Kobe’s dad and mom, Joe and Pam Bryant sat courtside right next to the Laker bench. Ray Allen’s mother was spotted in line at the bar on the concourse level and Candace Fisher, wife of Derek was spotted in the lower bowl.

NBA commissioner David Stern who did a pre-game interview was seated amongst the fans for the entire game. The commissioner was on hand in case the Celtics won and the Championship was claimed after the game, fortunately for the Lakers, that won’t be decided until Thursday.

Congrats to the Lakers on such a dominating win!

Lakers On Soccer And World Cup

A reporter asked Los Angeles Lakers forward Ron Artest about the upcoming World Cup. The Lakers have several soccer fans on their team, Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Sasha Vujacic. With his teammates so interested in the sports, Ron Ron is trying to get into the sport.
Here are Ron’s random thoughts on soccer:

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Also check out this video from a year ago when Kobe Bryant was on the cover of the ESPN Fan Issue where he donned an FC Barcelona uniform and talked about his love for the sport.

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4 days until the World Cup festivities begin! Don’t forget to check Queen of Sports as we will be reporting live from South Africa. Go USA!

Pau Gasol Makes Four-Year-Old’s Dream Come True

Los Angeles Lakers forward Pau Gasol met with one of his biggest fans, four-year-old Ezra Frech who was born with a rare condition that caused his left arm and leg to form improperly, but it hasn’t stopped him from playing his favorite sports, basketball.

At the age of 3 he had to his leg removed because it wasn’t growing properly and had it replaced with a prosthetic leg.

“That day that he walked into our doors, he changed our lives,” Hanger Prosthetics therapist Ryan Russell said. “There’s just something about him. … He comes in here, he lights the place up.” The new leg changed things for Ezra.

Ezra got to meet his basketball hero after a recent Laker game at Staples Center.

Check out the inspiring piece that aired on Good Morning America here.

NBA Players Raise Money for St. Jude’s

Last year, NBA rookies raised $26,000 for St. Jude through an auction of autographed jerseys. This season, players are taking their support of St. Jude to another level.

Pau Gasol, Rudy Gay, Danny Granger, Shane Battier, Steve Blake and Kevin Love are leading the way by pledging to donate to St. Jude for each point scored throughout the NBA season. Gasol, Granger, Battier, Blake and Love will donate a minimum season-end gift of $20,000, while Gay has pledge $22,222.22. Nuggets head coach George Karl, recently diagnosed with throat and neck cancer, has also joined the cause and donated $20,000 to St. Jude.

The Hoops for St. Jude program is a season-long initiative, but March 1-7 is Hoops for St. Jude Week across the league. This week, NBA coaches will wear Hoops for St. Jude lapel pins in support of Karl. In addition, students across the country are participating in a special basketball fundamentals program designed by Karl.

Fans can go to hoopsforstjude.org to join Karl and the players by making a donation or participating in the auction of 30 different autographed items from the league’s best players.

You can read the full article and an interview about why St. Jude’s is so special to Rudy Gay here.