PAU GASOL'S HAIR is coiffed short and tidy now. Sensible. Hints of gray show on the sides and contrast with the brown waves up top. He looks every bit the part as the husband and father of two he has become in his post-playing days.
At first glance, the 42-year-old version of Gasol could even easily pass as a medical professional, albeit a ridiculously tall one at 7-foot-1. It was the field he would have pursued if it wasn't for basketball, after all.
He's genial. Poised. Well-spoken in multiple languages. Confident, yet calming.
On this night in late January, as a guest at the Los Angeles Lakers' annual "all-access" event for VIPs, Gasol is seemingly a world away from his days as the post-up pirouetting, rabid rebounding, triangle offense triumphing, wild mane-sporting Spaniard who dominated in six seasons with the franchise.