Paris Olympics: Pau Gasol surprises Spain’s 3×3 women’s basketball team

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PARIS — Midway through a match against France on Wednesday night, Spain’s Juana Camilion looked toward the courtside seats to her left and noticed a familiar face.

Pau Gasol had gone to support the Spanish women’s 3×3 basketball team in their second group stage match at the Paris Olympic Games.

“I got distracted for a few seconds,” Camilion told Yahoo Sports with a laugh. “I was like, ‘Oooh, is Pau there?’ Then I was like, ‘OK, focus! Focus on the game.’”

Spain did not play like a distracted team, nor did the Spaniards seem bothered by the crowd waving pro-French flags. They improved their group-stage record to 2-0 with a convincing 17-12 victory over the host country.

Shortly after the game, the four Spanish players went up to the stands to celebrate with Gasol. He embraced them warmly, posed for photos and talked about some of the differences between traditional basketball and the fast-paced, ultra-physical 3×3 discipline.

“I was surprised by all the contact I had seen on the pitch, but I was happy for us,” Camilion said. “It was a very important game for us.”

Gasol, like his late close friend and former Lakers teammate Kobe Bryant, has long been an investor in women’s basketball and a vocal advocate for increasing opportunities for women in sports management and leadership. Last year, the WNBA named him the recipient of the Kobe & Gigi Bryant Advocacy Award for his significant contributions to women’s basketball.

Spain’s Sandra Ygueravide told Yahoo Sports that she and her teammates had no idea Gasol was planning to come Wednesday night.

“We had never seen him in person on a 3×3 court,” he said, “so it was a special day.”

Camilion had only one request for Gasol before parting ways.

“I told him he had to come back tomorrow,” she said with a smile. “He was good to us.”