Lakers’ forward Pau Gasol spent an afternoon with children from Westchester, Culver City and Playa Del Rey at the Westchester Recreation Center on Dec. 11.
The international superstar athlete played a game of S-P-R-I-N-T with the kids in attendance as part of a promotion and community outreach by the cellphone company.
“I do I love playing with them (kids),” Gasol said. “Today we had time off so I had a little more time to rest in the morning. It was appropriate for me to do this type of event; I enjoy it always. It’s energizing and it’s full of fun because you get to see the kids have good time and give them an opportunity to hang out with you. It’s always a special time for me.”
Gasol was traded to the Lakers in 2008 and has won two championships with the team. However, taking time away from his busy schedule to interact with kids is nothing new to the internationallyknown athlete. Gasol also took time in the afternoon to sign autographs at a local Sprint retailer location on Manchester Avenue and Sepulveda Boulevard.
“I’m thankful to be able to do this because it also brings me a lot of joy to play with these kids,” Gasol said. “We have a good time together.”