Marc Gasol received a farewell gift this Thursday. Just the day after saying that he is leaving basketball – as a player – the Memphis Grizzlies They announced this Thursday that they will retire Marc Gasol's number 33 jersey, the highest honor that NBA clubs grant to their greatest stars. The Spanish player certifies his status as a team legend. The Grizzlies have chosen this February 1 for the announcement because it was just 16 years since they acquired the rights to sign Marc in an operation in which the Memphis team transferred his brother Pau to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Marc symbolically joins his brother Pau, whose number 16 jersey was also retired by the Lakers. In Marc's case, he will become the second player in franchise history to have his jersey number retired, joining Zach Randolph, whose number 50 was retired on December 11, 2021. The ceremony will be on Saturday, April 6 at the FedExForum in Memphis after the game against the Philadelphia 76ers.
The recently retired Spanish center won the NBA championship ring with the Toronto Raptors, but where he left his true mark was in Memphis, a city that welcomed him with open arms and where Pau Gasol had previously played. The little brother has a whole collection of records with the Grizzlies. Marc Gasol played 11 seasons (2008-19) on the team and was key to the team's ability to qualify for seven consecutive seasons. playoffs. With him, the Grizzlies achieved their first postseason playoff victory in 2011 and qualified for the Western Conference finals in 2013.
Along with those team achievements, there are individual ones. Marc Gasol is the Grizzlies' all-time leader in minutes played (25,917), starts (762), field goals made (4,341), free throws made (2,701), defensive rebounds (4,624), total rebounds (5,952) and plugs (1,135). Additionally, he is second in team history in games played (769), points (11,684), assists (2,639), offensive rebounds (1,318), double-doubles (194) and triple-doubles (5) and third in steals ( 708). In terms of postseason games, it is first in minutes played, free throws taken, defensive rebounds and blocks, and second in games played, games started, points, rebounds, assists, field goals taken, offensive rebounds and total rebounds. Quite a track record.
The Barcelona native was named NBA defensive player of the year in the 2012-2013 season, becoming the first player born in Europe to receive the award. He was selected to the NBA's best quintet in the 2014-2015 season, something that no other Grizzlies player has achieved.
Additionally, Gasol participated in three NBA All-Star games (2012, 2015 and 2017), a club record, and became the first player in Grizzlies history to be chosen as a starter. He achieved it in the 2015 All-Star Game and starred in the unforgettable opening jump at Madison Square Garden against his brother Pau, a starter on the West team. The Gasols are the only brothers in NBA history to have started in the same All-Star Game.
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