White shared Gasol s heartwarming past: The $30,000 team meal refused to let the rookie pay for it, showing the veteran s responsibility

One of the most moving charms of the NBA locker room is the off-court stories, which allow fans to see the players' character outside the field. Recently, Celtics defender Derek White shared a story about Paul Gasol on his personal podcast White Noise, allowing fans to see the generosity and veteran responsibility of the Spanish star.

White recalled a team dinner when he played for the Spurs, and the bill for that dinner ended up as high as $30,000. Forbes, who was a sophomore player at the time, was jokingly "unitted" by everyone to pay for the luxury meal. White revealed that coach Popovich had already arranged the payment, but Forbes still took the initiative to take out his credit card. Just then, Paul Gasol stood up.

"The Gasol is really great. You can see his character - we had a dinner at that time, and everyone joked that Forbes would pay. Gasol immediately said 'No' because Forbes was playing for the second year at that time."

"He said 'You can't pay this, as a veteran, it's my responsibility'. I thought it was too cool. Actually, it was a joke because Bobo had already arranged to pay, but Forbes had already taken it out. The card was stuck. "

"We went to a steakhouse, and the whole team was there. Gasol heard that he wanted Forbes to pay, so he gave his card to Forbes. So Forbes was really ready to pay at the beginning, but Gasol immediately stopped it: 'No, absolutely not. ' But in the end it was actually Bobo's money, and Bobo was also very good."

Gasol's reaction was exactly his usual style - considerate and selfless, and deeply rooted in the concept of "promoting the younger generation". Even if Forbes doesn't actually need to pay the $30,000 bill, Gasol will never let this "unfair situation" happen. For him, it has nothing to do with the money itself, but to protect young teammates and prevent the other party from falling into an embarrassing situation.

As a two-time NBA championship, six-time All-Star, and one of the most respected international players in league history, Gasol is well aware of the unwritten principle of "veteran responsibility".