Pau Gasol wins the 2015 Magic Johnson Award for graciousness with the media (Ball Don’t Lie)

In a world full of fussin' and fightin', we call can agree on the fact that Chicago Bulls center Pau Gasol is a really swell sort of guy. [ Follow Dunks Don't Lie on Tumblr: The best slams from all of basketball ] Gasol was recognized as such on Wednesday, winning the Pro Basketball Writers' Association's Magic Johnson award for acting as the "player who best combines excellence on the court with cooperation and dignity in dealing with media and fans." Pau, who made the 2015 All-Star team in his first year with Chicago, was characteristically gracious upon receiving the trophy. From his meeting with the press, via K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune : "I just try to be helpful. I try to help other people do their jobs well," Gasol said. "I understand my position and that this is a part of our jobs. So I always try to be kind and polite, even when I'm not feeling great or I might be upset because of the loss. I understand that it's still part of my job to be one of the team's leaders and role models to stand up and share my thoughts when I need." "It's easy to be friendly. It's easy to be kind," Gasol said. "It rubs off on people, so you want to balance out the negatives in the...