Marc Gasol

The younger brother of Pau Gasol, an established star in the NBA, Marc began his childhood in Barcelona. Later, he moved to Memphis, Tennessee where his brother had gotten picked by the Memphis Grizzlies, during the 2001 NBA Draft.

This not only gave Marc a chance to go to the United States of America, but he also got to play in the American school system, while at Lausanne Collegiate School.

Professional Career

Gasol returned to his roots and joined FC Barcelona, in 2004, in the Liga ACB, before playing for Akasvayu Girona, in 2006. After spending 2007 with Girona, Pau decided to declare for the NBA Draft and was picked 48th overall, by the Los Angeles Lakers.

He was traded out to the Memphis Grizzlies on draft night, in a deal that saw his brother move to Los Angeles. Gasol began his rookie season well, playing 30.7 minutes per game on his way to scoring 11.9 points and grabbing 7.4 rebounds per game. He had 1.1 blocks as well as 1.7 assists per game in 2008-09.

At the international level, Gasol had been a part of the Spanish team at the 2006 FIBA World Championships in Japan, where Spain won the Gold Medal as well as at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, winning the Silver medal for his team.

Gasol was also part of the 2007 and 2009 FIBA European Championships held in Spain and Poland respectively. He helped the team win the Gold in Poland after narrowly missing out, on the home court, with a Silver medal.

In the 2010 to 2011 Season, Gasol helped the Grizzlies beat the San Antonio Spurs and faced the Oklahoma City Thunder in the playoffs. In the next season, he was chosen for the NBA All-Star Game and the Grizzlies were able to reach the 2012 NBA Playoffs again.

The next season saw Gasol recording three double-doubles. He also got the nod to become a part of the NBA All-Star for the first time in his career. While the team made the playoffs, they lost to the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round.

During the 2012 to 2013 Season, Gasol became the first European player to win the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award. He also recorded the highest total assists for all centers for the season at 318 assists.

Due to a knee injury, Gasol was sidelined for much of the 2014 to 2014 Season. He came back strong the next season, was named one of the top MVP contenders, and was selected for his first All-NBA First Team.

He signed with the Grizzlies again in the 2015 to 2016 Season where he became the Top Four player on the franchise’s all-time scoring list at 7,801 points.

In the 2016 to 2017 Season, Gasol set a new career milestone by making 42 points in a victory over the Toronto Raptors. In March 2017, he recorded 18 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists – his third career triple-double.

He went over 10,000 career points in the next season. Gasol also recorded the most games started in franchise history in February 2018, where he played his 700th career NBA game.

In 2019, he helped the Toronto Raptors win the NBA Championships that year. In 2020, he transferred to play for the Los Angeles Lakers. Then in 2021, he returned to Europe and signed with Basquet Girona. In 2022, he was named the LEB Oro Final Four MVP.

Career Highlights

• 2019 - NBA champion
• 2012, 2015, 2017 - NBA All-Star
• 2015 - All-NBA First Team
• 2013 - All-NBA Second Team
• 2013 - NBA Defensive Player of the Year
• 2013 - NBA All-Defensive Second Team
• 2009 - NBA All-Rookie Second Team
• 2019 - All-FIBA World Cup Team
• 2004 - Liga ACB champion
• 2007 - FIBA EuroCup winner
• 2008 - ACB Most Valuable Player Award
• 2008 - All-ACB Team
• 2022 - LEB Oro Final Four MVP
• 2014 - Euroscar Player of the Year

Medal Record, Men’s basketball, Representing Spain

• Silver - 2008 Olympic Games Beijing
• Silver - 2012 Olympic Games London
• Gold - 2006 World Cup Japan
• Gold - 2019 World Cup China
• Gold - 2009 FIBA Eurobasket Poland
• Gold - 2011 FIBA Eurobasket Lithuania
• Silver - 2007 FIBA Eurobasket Spain
• Bronze - FIBA Eurobasket 2013 Slovenia
• Bronze - 2017 FIBA Eurobasket Turkey