In 2001 Pau Gasol landed in the NBA by the Grizzlies After agreeing these a transfer with the Atlanta Hawkswho had chosen the Spanish with No. 3 in the Draft, in exchange for Shareef Abdur-Mahaim. And in his early days in Memphis there was a partner who turned to him, to the point of Go to receive your hotel to welcome you and make Cicerone minutes after landing Catalan in the city. Was Shane Battierthe other Rookie to which the Grizzlies had chosen with the No. 6 of that draft.
Both locked a great friendship and They played five seasons together in Memphisuntil Battier was transferred from the Grizzlies (01-06), to the Rockets (06-11), then he had a fleeting return to Memphis (2011), and played his last years in the Heat (11-14), where he conquered two rings (2012-13) until completing 13 seasons in the NBA.
Battier, during a Partido de Los Grizzlies.
The 2.03 m eave averaged 8.6 points and 4.2 rebounds in 977 regular seasonal games During his career. And in his golden age with the Heat, he accredited 5.1 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.0 assistance In 210 games. Their statistics do not indicate that it was crucial for the two consecutive titles of the Heat, but His extraordinary defense To the rival stars of the moment it was decisive.
Lost and without any purpose in life
But after his withdrawal the glorious days of the race evaporated quickly. He felt lost and without any purpose in life and entered into a deep depression. In a recent interview with the American journalist and writer Pablo TorreBattier revealed those problems and confessed the difficult moment who lived when he realized that his time in Miami was over.
Nothing was worse for me than sitting at a crucial moment, it hurt deeply. Then I knew it was finished. I felt ashamed and I disregarded everything
Para That was the most humiliating moment of his career: “Nothing was worse for me than sitting at a crucial moment. That was my identity. It hurt deeply. It was then that I knew it was finished. I felt ashamed and disregarded everything. So, when I retired, I was very cynical. And I was very sad, but it was also very cynical. “
Pau Gasol and Shane Battier, in a training of the Grizzlies.
Depression led him to isolate himself from all over the world and lock himself in the darkness that dominated his mind: “I wasolated from people. He probably fought against depression. I didn't know what it was. I had never had this feeling before. I felt very isolated. I felt that nobody understood what was happening “.
I isolated from the people. He probably fought against depression. I didn't know what it was. I felt that nobody understood by what was happening
A very common feeling in depressions and that he suffered in his own flesh: “I felt very alone and moved people away. I moved my wife away and moved my children away. It was a moron. He did not do destructive things or drank every night, but he was emotionally inaccessible. I was wounded and furious. I felt all these emotions that I had never associated with basketball. “
I moved my wife away and moved my children away. It was a moron. He did not do destructive things or drank every night, but he was emotionally inaccessible. I was wounded and furious
The 7th Most Smart Athlete in the United States
No one would ever thought that a person like him, an intellectual in the entire extension of the word on and off the courtwas affected by such a trance. Battier, who speaks English and German, studied in Dukewhere he stood out brilliantly in the field of finance and sports analytics. In fact In 2010 he was chosen by the Sporting News publication as the most smart athlete of American sport. But not even a person with a mental capacity thus got rid of depression.
Battier and Gasol talk during a Grizzlies match.
That intellectual brilliance never went unnoticed among their peers, which had it in very high esteem. Dwyane Wade, with whom he shared equipment in the Heathe valued his basketball knowledge so much that he even offered to work with him in the Utah Jazz after his withdrawal. And another partner of his in Miami, LeBron Jamesthe star of that team, corroborated it: “He is probably the basketball player and the smartest person I have ever met. He knows everything “he told Fox Sports.
He is probably the basketball player and the smartest person I have ever met. He knows everything
Also the Canadian Joel Anthonyhis partner in the Heathe said about the day the day that was named the seventh smarter athlete of American sport: “I am not surprised”He said in Slam. “His intelligence for basketball is exceptional in terms of understanding and ability to analyze all situations on the court. Even outside it. If a general question arises, everyone looks at Shane as saying: 'Do you know the answer?' “
Its intelligence for basketball is exceptional in terms of understanding and ability to analyze all situations on the court. Even out of it
Fortunately Years later Shane Battier has been able to get out of those darkness who turned their lives into hell to resume their daily lives and normalize their family relationships. With therapy aid broke that isolation And with his testimony he demonstrates No one is free to affected their mental healthbut also that with help you can overcome depression like the one that had him against the strings.
