Newsroom GuidelinesNews TipsContact UsReport an Error “We were the two top ping pong players on the team,” Gasol said. “We had some good battles. We really enjoyed those. I even went to his house once in Manhattan Beach to play him. He’s that good.”Who is No. 1?“I don’t know who’s better,” Gasol said. “It was pretty close. I won some and he won some. I’d love to play him again at some point maybe down the line.”Walton called the matchup “pretty even” in what sounded captivating. Walton recalled that their best-of-seven matches would go all seven “90 percent of the time.”“I remember his wingspan. There were winners I hit that I stopped playing and he would pop the ball right back and have a little comment for me,” Walton said. “He’s a very talented ping pong player.” LOS ANGELES >> The reunion normally triggered nostalgia both for his affection for the Lakers and Kobe Bryant.This time, San Antonio forward Pau Gasol had emotions centered on something different. Even without Bryant’s presence, Gasol considered it “very meaningful” to play Friday against the Lakers at Staples Center partly because he saw Lakers coach Luke Walton, a former teammate from 2008 to 2012.“I’m real happy for him that he turned out to be a very good head coach so far,” Gasol said. “I wish him nothing but the best for many many years, hopefully here.”Gasol’s fond memories for Walton go beyond winning two NBA titles out of three Finals appearances together. Gasol also relished the endless times they played ping pong against each other.
Gasol is a very talented basketball player, too.“Pau was awesome; absolutely great,” Walton said. “He was one of those teammates that was there to put his arm around you when you needed it and one of the most talented players in the world. When you needed him to carry the team on his back, he did that too. You could go to dinner with him on the road and have a nice conversation. He was great.”Gasol said Walton had those same qualities, though no one will confuse the talent level between a six-time NBA All-Star (Gasol) and a dependable role player (Walton).“He always made the right play,” Gasol said of Walton. “Nothing fancy and nothing crazy. But he obviously had a great passing ability that we all knew. We all knew he was very solid. In the triangle (offense), he was a guy who knew where to be and how to execute the offense. That was just on the basketball level. He’s a great guy off the court, a great team guy and great chemistry guy. I think he brings that as a head coach as well.”First impressionNo one truly knows the trajectory D’Angelo Russell, Julius Randle and Brandon Ingram will take in a potentially long NBA career. But Spurs coach Gregg Popovich liked what he saw when he coached them with the U.S. Men’s select team last summer in Las Vegas. “Wonderful young talents, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed,” Popovich said. “Young kids, lots of energy, lots of skills, lots of talent. Luke’s doing a great job with them.” Popovich then explained the criteria on which he judged them.“When you’re with a group of young guys, the first thing you see is who understands what you’re talking about and who can be coached,” Popovich said. “Who learns? Does somebody need to hear it 10 times or 50 times? Do they get it right away? You can always tell about somebody’s aggressiveness and unselfishness.”