I was watching the Lakers game and wondering if Pau Gasol and Kobe were harkening back to maybe some of their early days as soccer players. I could have sworn that Gasol said, ‘Nice ball’ to Kobe rather than, ‘Nice Pass’. The way that Kobe plays is so much like a soccer player, cutting and darting into open spaces. There was one moment where Kobe was up in the air to shoot, and two players rushed to block his shot, rather than shoot he bounced passed the ball to Gasol who was cutting to the basket. They play basketball like soccer and it’s beautiful to watch.
And there are more NBA players who played soccer growing up, Steve Nash and Jason Kidd to name a few. In soccer you use your feet like your hands and that just translates to all sorts of sports. If you got good feet then you’ve got good balance and the ability to move laterally with ease.
Here’s Gasol, Nadal and Ronaldinho in a Nike ad – Flamenco styled showmanship: