Marc Gasol

Marc Gasol Sáez (Catalan pronunciation: [ˈmaɾɡ ɡəˈzɔl]; born 29 January 1985) is a Spanish professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A center, he was drafted 48th overall by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2007 NBA draft. After having his rights traded to the Memphis Grizzlies in February 2008 in a deal that sent his older brother Pau to the Lakers, he signed with the team and remained with the franchise until being traded to the Toronto Raptors in 2019, where he won his first NBA championship. He is a two-time All-NBA Team member, a three-time NBA All-Star, and an NBA champion. In 2013, he was named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year.

In this Catalan name, the first or paternal surname is Gasol and the second or maternal family name is Sáez; both are generally joined by the conjunction "i".
Marc Gasol
Gasol with the Toronto Raptors in 2019
No. 14 – Los Angeles Lakers
PositionCenter
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (1985-01-29) 29 January 1985
Barcelona, Spain
NationalitySpanish
Listed height6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
Listed weight255 lb (116 kg)
Career information
High schoolLausanne Collegiate School
(Memphis, Tennessee)
NBA draft2007 / Round: 2 / Pick: 48th overall
Selected by the Los Angeles Lakers
Playing career2003–present
Career history
2003–2006FC Barcelona
2006–2008CB Girona
2008–2019Memphis Grizzlies
2019–2020Toronto Raptors
2020–presentLos Angeles Lakers
Career highlights and awards
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Medals
Representing  Spain
Olympic Games
2008 BeijingTeam
2012 LondonTeam
World Cup
2006 JapanTeam
2019 ChinaTeam
FIBA Eurobasket
2009 PolandTeam
2011 LithuaniaTeam
2007 SpainTeam
2013 SloveniaTeam
2017 TurkeyTeam

Gasol has been a regular member of the Spain national team since 2006. He has won two Olympic silver medals and two FIBA Basketball World Cup titles. In the EuroBasket, he has won two titles, a silver medal, and two bronze medals.

Early life and career

Gasol was born and raised in Barcelona, Spain. In 2001, he moved as a teenager with his parents to the Memphis suburb of Germantown, Tennessee, after his older brother Pau joined the Memphis Grizzlies. Gasol played high school basketball at Lausanne Collegiate School in Memphis.[1] Nicknamed "The Big Burrito,"[2] he was named Division 2's Mr. Basketball in 2003 following a senior season in which he averaged 26 points, 13 rebounds, and six blocks per game.[3] In 2008, Lausanne retired Gasol's #33 jersey.[4]

Professional career
Gasol with Girona in May 2008

Spanish League

After graduating from Lausanne, Gasol returned to his home country of Spain to play in the Liga ACB for FC Barcelona. After three seasons with Barcelona, Gasol signed with Girona in 2006.[2] In 2008, he was named the ACB Most Valuable Player.

Early years

Gasol was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers with the 48th overall pick in the 2007 NBA draft. On 1 February 2008, his draft rights were traded by the Lakers to the Memphis Grizzlies as part of a trade package that included his older brother, Pau, who was sent from the Grizzlies to the Lakers.[5][6] On 9 July 2008, he signed with the Grizzlies.[7] He set a franchise rookie record for field goal percentage in a season with 53 percent. The previous record was held by Pau with 51.8 percent in 2001–02.[8] He subsequently earned NBA All-Rookie Second Team honors.[9] After averaging 11.9 points and 7.4 rebounds as a rookie, he averaged 14.6 points and 9.3 rebounds in 2009–10 with a career-best .581 field goal percentage.[10]

The 2010–11 season saw Gasol average 11.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, a career-high 2.5 assists and 1.68 blocks in 81 games (all starts). He then posted 15.0 points, 11.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 2.15 blocks in helping lead the Grizzlies through a 13-game run in the 2011 NBA Playoffs.[11] Memphis, which had never even won a playoff game before 2011, defeated the Western Conference's top-seeded San Antonio Spurs in the opening round, then went to a deciding seventh game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.[12] Gasol led the Grizzlies in field goal accuracy and blocked shots in each of his first three NBA seasons.[11]

2011–12 season: First All-Star selection

On 14 December 2011, Gasol re-signed with the Grizzlies to a four-year, $58 million contract.[11][12] On 23 January 2012, he was named Western Conference Player of the Week for games played 16–22 January.[13] On 9 February 2012, he was named an NBA All-Star for the first time, earning a place on the Western Conference roster as a reserve for the 2012 NBA All-Star Game.[14]

2012–13 season: Defensive Player of the Year

In 2012–13, Gasol was one of only six players to average at least 1.5 blocks (1.7 bpg) and 1.0 steals (1.0 spg). He led a Grizzlies defense that allowed a league-low 88.7 points per game during the regular season. His +5.4 score differential ranked second among NBA centers; additionally, Memphis enjoyed a +7.5 score differential when Gasol was on the court compared with -3.9 when he was on the bench.[15] In April 2013, he was named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year, becoming the first player in Grizzlies history to earn the honor.[15] ESPN lauded the Grizzlies' ability to force turnovers with Gasol on the court anchoring the defense.[16] He was also named to the All-NBA Second Team.[17] Despite winning Defensive Player of the Year, Gasol was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team due to a different voting system.[18]

2013–14 season
Gasol in November 2013, backing down Blake Griffin

In 2013–14, Gasol played a career-low 59 games. A left MCL sprain suffered on 22 November against the San Antonio Spurs[19] sidelined him for 23 games from 25 November to 12 January.[20][21]

Gasol in November 2013

2014–15 season: Second All-Star selection

The 2014–15 season saw Gasol earn his second NBA All-Star selection, earning his first All-Star start, and was named to the All-NBA First Team for the first time.[22] He averaged a career-best 17.4 points to go with 7.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists for the 55-win Grizzlies. He scored 30-plus points five times after doing so just once in his first six seasons. He set career-highs in field goals made and attempted, as well as free throws made and attempted.[22] He was the only player in the league with at least 1,300 points, 600 rebounds, and 300 assists.[23]

2015–16 season

On 13 July 2015, Gasol re-signed with the Grizzlies on a five-year maximum contract worth an estimated $110 million.[23][24] On 20 November, he recorded his first career triple-double with 16 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists in a 96–84 win over the Houston Rockets, marking the first triple-double for Memphis since 2007 when his brother Pau recorded 17 points, 13 rebounds, and 12 assists.[25] Gasol set a new career low for games played with 52 after missing the second half of the season with a broken right foot.[26][27]

2016–17 season: Third All-Star selection

On 5 December 2016, Gasol recorded his second career triple-double with 28 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists in a 110–108 double-overtime win over the New Orleans Pelicans.[28] On 12 December, he was named Western Conference Player of the Week for games played 5–11 December. It marked his second career Player of the Week award and the ninth time a Grizzlies player has won the weekly accolade.[29] On 25 January 2017, he scored a career-high 42 points in a 101–99 win over the Toronto Raptors.[30] A day later, he was named an NBA All-Star for the third time in his career.[31][32] On 16 March 2017, he recorded his third career triple-double with 18 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 103–91 win over the Atlanta Hawks.[33]

2017–18 season

On 2 December 2017, Gasol passed 10,000 career points with 27 points in a 116–111 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.[34] On 26 January 2018, Gasol recorded his fourth career triple-double with 13 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 109–100 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.[35] In February 2018, Gasol played his 700th career NBA game and made his 689th start, surpassing Mike Conley Jr. for the most games started in franchise history.[36]

2018–19 season

In November 2018, Gasol passed Zach Randolph (5,612) to become the Grizzlies' all-time career rebound leader.[37] In December, Gasol made at least one 3-pointer in 13 consecutive games, which tied a career-high.[38][39] He set a new record in the first game of January, making a 3-pointer in his 14th straight game on 2 January against the Detroit Pistons.[40] The streak ended at 15 games.[41] On 23 January, he recorded his fifth career triple-double with 22 points, 17 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 118–107 loss to the Charlotte Hornets.[42]

Toronto Raptors (2019–2020)

On 7 February 2019, Gasol was traded to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for C. J. Miles, Jonas Valančiūnas, Delon Wright and a 2024 second-round draft pick.[43] He made his debut for the Raptors two days later, recording seven points and six rebounds in 19 minutes off the bench in a 104–99 win over the New York Knicks.[44] Gasol soon stepped into the starting center role in Toronto, and his pass-first offensive approach helped the Raptors become the NBA's top 3-point shooting team over the second half of the season.[45] He helped the Raptors reach the 2019 NBA Finals. In his first ever NBA Finals game, Gasol scored 20 points and grabbed 7 rebounds in a win.[46] After defeating the Golden State Warriors in six games, Marc joins his brother Pau, and his two championships in 2009 and 2010, as the first set of brothers to win NBA titles.[47]

On 26 June 2019, Gasol opted in with the Toronto Raptors by exercising his $25.6 million player option for the 2019–20 season.[48] On 25 November 2019, despite only scoring 3 points, Gasol had his best game of the season with 6 rebounds and 9 assists while holding Joel Embiid scoreless for the first time in his career in a 101–96 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.

Los Angeles Lakers (2020–present)

On November 24, 2020, Gasol signed with the Los Angeles Lakers.[49] On December 22, 2020, Gasol made his Lakers debut, going scoreless while putting up one rebound and one assist in a 116–109 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.[50][51]

National team career
Marc and Pau playing for Spain at the 2012 Summer Olympics

In 2006, Gasol was named to the Spain national team for the 2006 FIBA World Championship in Japan as a replacement for NBA-draftee Fran Vázquez.[2] Spain went on to win the gold medal in Japan, as well as at the 2009 FIBA EuroBasket. He also won silver medals at the 2007 FIBA EuroBasket, the 2008 Summer Olympics, and the 2012 Summer Olympics. He won his second world championship title with the Spanish team at the 2019 FIBA World Championship in China.

He also won the gold medal at the 2011 FIBA EuroBasket, and bronze medals at the 2013 FIBA EuroBasket and the 2017 FIBA EuroBasket.

At the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup, Gasol won his second World Cup title.[52] Gasol scored 33 points in the semi-final to defeat Australia. He scored 14 points, had a team-high 7 assists, had 2 steals, and blocked 3 shots in the Final against Argentina.[53] He was named to the World Cup All-Star Team along with teammate Ricky Rubio.[54] Gasol became the second player in history to win an NBA championship and a World Cup in the same year, and the first non-American to win an NBA or WNBA title and either a World Cup or Olympic gold medal in the same year.[55]

Awards and accomplishments

US / Canada

Spain

European Player of the Year awards

Spanish senior national team

NBA career statistics
Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high
 †  Won an NBA championship

Regular season
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2008–09 Memphis 827530.7.530.000.7337.41.7.81.111.9
2009–10 Memphis 696935.8.581.000.6709.32.41.01.614.6
2010–11 Memphis 818131.9.527.429.7487.02.5.91.711.7
2011–12 Memphis 656536.5.482.083.7488.93.11.01.914.6
2012–13 Memphis 808035.0.494.071.8487.84.01.01.714.1
2013–14 Memphis 595933.4.473.182.7687.23.61.01.314.6
2014–15 Memphis 818133.2.494.176.7957.83.8.91.617.4
2015–16 Memphis 525234.4.464.667.8297.03.81.01.316.6
2016–17 Memphis 747434.2.459.388.8376.34.6.91.319.5
2017–18 Memphis 737333.0.420.341.8348.14.2.71.417.2
2018–19 Memphis 535333.7.444.344.7568.64.71.11.215.7
2018–19† Toronto 261924.9.465.442.7696.63.9.9.99.1
2019–20 Toronto 444326.4.427.385.7356.33.3.8.97.5
Career 83982433.0.481.354.7777.63.4.91.414.6
All-Star 3120.0.556.000.0007.63.31.0.36.6

Playoffs
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2011 Memphis 131339.9.511.000.69911.22.21.12.215.0
2012 Memphis 7737.3.522.000.7916.73.1.31.915.1
2013 Memphis 151540.6.454.000.8008.53.2.92.217.2
2014 Memphis 7742.7.405.000.7947.74.41.7.917.3
2015 Memphis 111137.8.394.000.85210.34.5.91.719.7
2017 Memphis 6640.0.470.583.9396.54.2.3.719.3
2019† Toronto 242430.6.422.382.8706.43.0.91.19.4
2020 Toronto 111120.7.391.185.7334.42.6.5.66.0
Career 949435.2.442.343.8087.73.3.81.413.9

See also

References
  1. Jenkins, Lee (29 March 2010). "The power of Pau". Sports Illustrated. p. 2. Archived from the original on 28 March 2010. Retrieved 26 March 2010.
  2. Conn, Jordan Ritter (15 February 2013). "The (Big) Man Skilled in All Ways of Contending". Grantland. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
  3. Smith, Jason (4 December 2008). "Lausanne honors former star, Griz rookie Gasol". The Commercial Appeal. Memphis, TN. Archived from the original on 10 December 2008. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
  4. Lee, Lauren (5 May 2011). "Glimpse of Old School Marc Gasol". myfoxmemphis.com. Archived from the original on 14 April 2012.
  5. "Lakers Acquire Gasol From Grizzlies". NBA.com. 1 February 2008. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
  6. "Grizzlies trade Pau Gasol to Lakers for four players and two first round picks". NBA.com. 1 February 2008. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
  7. "Grizzlies sign 2008 ACB Most Valuable Player Marc Gasol". NBA.com. 9 July 2008. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
  8. "Grizzlies take advantage of Hawks reserves". ESPN.com. 15 April 2009. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
  9. "Player Profile: Marc Gasol". NBA.com. Archived from the original on 17 February 2012. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
  10. "Marc Gasol". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
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  12. "Memphis Grizzlies re-sign Marc Gasol". ESPN.com. 14 December 2011. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
  13. "Magic's Dwight Howard, Grizzlies' Marc Gasol named NBA Players of the Week". NBA.com. 23 January 2012. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
  14. "Pierce, Nowitzki headline reserves for 2012 All-Star Game". NBA.com. 9 February 2012. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
  15. "Grizzlies' Gasol named Kia Defensive Player of the Year". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. 24 April 2013. Archived from the original on 24 April 2013.
  16. Saini, Sunny (24 April 2013). "Gasol's stingy defense earns award". ESPN. Archived from the original on 25 April 2013.
  17. "Allen, James headline 2012-13 NBA All-Defensive First Team". NBA.com. 13 May 2013. Archived from the original on 26 October 2013. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
  18. Joseph, Adi (13 May 2013). "Marc Gasol left off LeBron James-led all-defensive team". usatoday.com. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
  19. "Notebook: Spurs 102, Grizzlies 86". NBA.com. 22 November 2013. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
  20. "Notebook: Grizzlies 90, Thunder 87". NBA.com. 14 January 2014. Retrieved 16 November 2018. Grizzlies' center Marc Gasol made a surprising return to the lineup after missing seven weeks with a left MCL sprain.
  21. "Marc Gasol 2013-14 Game Log". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
  22. "Warriors' Curry and Cavaliers' James unanimous picks for 2014-15 All-NBA First Team". NBA.com. 21 May 2015. Archived from the original on 23 July 2016. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
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  24. "Marc Gasol signs 5-year deal to stay in Memphis, Grizzlies announce". ESPN.com. 13 July 2015. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
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  27. "Marc Gasol Injury Update". NBA.com. 23 February 2016. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
  28. "Gasol, Grizzlies outlast Pelicans, 110-108 in double OT". ESPN.com. 5 December 2016. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
  29. "Marc Gasol named Western Conference Player of the Week". NBA.com. 12 December 2016. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
  30. "Gasol scores a career-high 42 to lead Grizzlies past Raptors". ESPN.com. 25 January 2017. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  31. "Thunder's Westbrook and three first-time All-Stars headline reserves for 2017 NBA All-Star Game". NBA.com. 26 January 2017. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
  32. Whitaker, Lang (26 January 2017). "Warriors, Cavaliers dominate selections for NBA All-Star 2017 as reserves are revealed". NBA.com. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
  33. "Gasol's triple-double helps Grizzlies top Hawks 103-91". ESPN.com. 16 March 2017. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
  34. "James takes over as Cavaliers win 11th straight". ESPN.com. 2 December 2017. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  35. "Williams has 40 points,10 assists, Clippers beat Grizzlies". ESPN.com. 26 January 2018. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
  36. "Irving scores 25, Celtics hold off Grizzlies 109-98". ESPN.com. 26 February 2018. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  37. "Jackson, Gasol lead Grizzlies past Kings 112-104". ESPN.com. 16 November 2018. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
  38. "Irving, Horford lead rally as Celtics beat Grizzlies 112-103". ESPN.com. 29 December 2018. Retrieved 30 December 2018. Gasol has made a 3-pointer in 12 consecutive games, one short of his career-best 13 in December 2017.
  39. "Harden's 43 points, triple-double lead Rockets over Memphis". ESPN.com. 31 December 2018. Retrieved 1 January 2019. Gasol has at least one 3-pointer in 13 consecutive games, which ties a career high.
  40. "Griffin's 26 points leads Pistons past Grizzlies 101-94". ESPN.com. 2 January 2019. Retrieved 3 January 2019. Gasol has made a 3-pointer in 14 consecutive games, eclipsing the longest such streak of his career in December of 2017.
  41. "Marc Gasol 2018-19 Game Log". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved 8 January 2019.
  42. "Walker, Batum lead Hornets over the Grizzlies 118-107". ESPN.com. 23 January 2019. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
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  47. Zemek, Matthew (14 June 2019). "Marc Gasol, Pau Gasol become first brothers to win NBA championship". clutchpoints.com. Retrieved 16 June 2019.
  48. "Raptors' Gasol accepts one-year player option". NBA.com. 26 June 2019. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  49. "Lakers Sign Marc Gasol". NBA.com. 24 November 2020. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
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  53. "Spain seal second FIBA World Cup with win over Argentina". MARCA in English. 15 September 2019. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
  54. "TISSOT Most Valuable Player Rubio headlines the All-Star Five". FIBA. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
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