Marc Gasol

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This name uses Spanish naming customs; the first or paternal family name is Gasol and the second or maternal family name is Sàez.
Marc Gasol
Marc Gasol Grizzlies.jpg
Gasol with the Grizzlies
No. 33 – Memphis Grizzlies
Center
Personal information
Born (1985-01-29) January 29, 1985 (age 28)
Barcelona, Spain
Nationality Spanish
Listed height 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m)
Listed weight 265 lb (120 kg)
Career information
High school Lausanne Collegiate School
(Memphis, Tennessee)
NBA Draft 2007 / Round: 2 / Pick: 48th overall
Selected by the Los Angeles Lakers
Pro career 2004–present
Career history
2004–2006 FC Barcelona
2006–2008 Akasvayu Girona
2008–present Memphis Grizzlies
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com
Medals
Marc Gasol
Medal record
Competitor for  Spain
Men's Basketball
Summer Olympics
Silver 2008 Beijing National Team
Silver 2012 London Team
FIBA World Championship
Gold 2006 Japan National Team
FIBA European Championship
Silver 2007 Spain National Team
Gold 2009 Poland National Team
Gold 2011 Lithuania National Team

Marc Gasol Sáez (born January 29, 1985) is a Spanish professional basketball player who plays for the Memphis Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Gasol was an NBA All-Star in 2012 and won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2013.

He was drafted in the second round, 48th overall, by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2007 NBA Draft. He stands 7'1" tall and is the younger brother of current Lakers power forward Pau Gasol.

Contents

Early years [edit]

While he spent almost all of his childhood in the Barcelona area, he moved as a teenager with his parents to the Memphis suburb of Germantown, Tennessee in 2001, after his older brother Pau Gasol was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks and then had his rights traded to the Memphis Grizzlies, who finalized their move from Vancouver just after the draft. 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] His parents still live in Germantown.[5]

Pro career [edit]

Europe [edit]

After his graduation from Lausanne, Gasol returned to his home country of Spain to play in the Liga ACB to play for FC Barcelona. After his solid play in the 2006 world championships, Gasol accepted an offer from Akasvayu Girona,[2] where he played two seasons and was named the 2008 ACB Most Valuable Player.

NBA [edit]

Gasol was drafted in the second round, 48th overall, by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2007 NBA Draft. On February 1, 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 went to the Lakers. No other instance is known where an NBA player was traded for his brother. On June 23, 2008 he signed a contract with the Memphis Grizzlies.[6]

Gasol met his rookie season with success, scoring 10-plus points in 10 straight games on 49-for-84 shooting in October 2008.[7] Gasol broke the franchise rookie record of the highest field goal percentage at the end of the season by shooting 53%. The previous record was held by his older brother Pau, who shot 51.8% from the field his rookie season.[8]

2010–2011 season [edit]

He averaged 11.7 points and 7.0 rebounds while starting 81 games in the regular season.[9] In the 2011 playoffs Gasol averaged 15 points, 11.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists, helping the Grizzlies upset top-seeded San Antonio Spurs before pushing Oklahoma City Thunder to seven games in the semifinals. He finished second in rebounds per game and third with 2.15 blocks per game in the playoffs.[9] Gasol’s exceptional work raised up his value even more. The Memphis Grizzlies extended a qualifying offer to restricted free agent Gasol, giving them the chance to match any offer he might get during the offseason.[9]

2011–2012 season [edit]

In December 2011, Gasol signed a four-year $58-million extension with the Memphis Grizzlies [10] During the week of January 16–22, Gasol led the Grizzlies to a perfect 4–0 record, averaging 19.5 points, 9.8 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 2.5 blocks. Gasol reached three point-rebound double-doubles in those four games, earning him Western Conference Player of the Week honors.[11] He entered his first All-Star game as a reserve player.

2012–2013 season [edit]

Gasol was named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year for the 2012–13 season.[12] He averaged 1.7 blocks and 1.0 steal per game during the season, making him one of only six players to average at least 1.5 blocks and 1.0 steals. Memphis surrendered a league-low 88.7 points per game. According to NBA.com, Gasol's +5.4 score differential ranked second among the league's centers. The Grizzlies also had a +7.5 score differential when Gasol was playing versus -3.9 when he was on the bench.[13] ESPN lauded the Grizzlies' ability to force turnovers with Gasol on the court anchoring the defense.[14] Gasol also averaged 4.0 assists per game with 318 for the season, the highest total among all NBA centers.[15]

Despite being named the Defensive Player of the Year, Gasol was left off the NBA All-Defensive First Team and was named to the Second Team instead. Of the players named to both teams, Gasol received the least amount of votes.[16] The Defensive Player of the Year was named by sportswriters, while the All-Defensive Team members were named by coaches.[17]

Spanish national team [edit]

Marc and Pau Gasol, playing for Spain at the 2012 Summer Olympics.

In 2006, Gasol was named to the Spanish national team to the world championships in Japan as a replacement for NBA-draftee Fran Vazquez.[2] Gasol was part of the Spanish national basketball team that won gold medals at the 2006 FIBA World Championship and the 2009 FIBA European Championships. He also won silver medals at the 2007 FIBA European Championship, the 2008 Olympics Basketball Tournament, and the 2012 Olympics Basketball Tournament.

Awards and accomplishments [edit]

USA [edit]

Spain [edit]

Spanish national team [edit]

NBA career statistics [edit]

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

Regular season [edit]

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2008–09 Memphis 82 75 30.7 .530 .000 .733 7.4 1.7 0.8 1.1 11.9
2009–10 Memphis 69 69 35.8 .581 .000 .670 9.3 2.4 1.0 1.6 14.6
2010–11 Memphis 81 81 31.9 .527 .429 .748 7.0 2.5 0.9 1.7 11.7
2011–12 Memphis 65 65 36.5 .482 .083 .748 8.9 3.1 1.0 1.9 14.6
2012–13 Memphis 80 80 35.0 .494 .071 .848 7.8 4.0 1.0 1.7 14.1
Career 377 370 33.8 .520 .143 .746 8.0 2.7 0.9 1.6 13.3
All-Star 1 0 13.0 .400 .000 .000 3.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 4.0

Playoffs [edit]

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2011 Memphis 13 13 39.9 .511 .000 .699 11.2 2.2 1.1 2.2 15.0
2012 Memphis 7 7 37.3 .522 .000 .791 6.7 3.1 0.3 1.9 15.1
Career 20 20 39.0 .514 .000 .733 9.7 2.6 0.8 2.1 15.1

References [edit]

  1. ^ Jenkins, Lee (2010-03-29). "The power of Pau". Sports Illustrated. p. 2. Retrieved 2010-03-26. 
  2. ^ a b c http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/8950838/memphis-grizzlies-center-marc-gasol-most-overlooked-big-man-nba-maybe-best
  3. ^ Smith, Jason. "Lausanne honors former star, Griz rookie Gasol". The Commercial Appeal. Retrieved 2011-09-16. 
  4. ^ "Grizz Marc Gasol's High School Days". 
  5. ^ Jenkins, Lee (2010-03-29). "The power of Pau". Sports Illustrated. p. 3. Retrieved 2010-03-26. 
  6. ^ Grizzlies sign Gasol.
  7. ^ Marc Gasol Game Log – 2008–09.
  8. ^ ESPN.com recap.
  9. ^ a b c "Grizzlies extend qualifying offer to center Gasol". Sports Illustrated. 24 June 2011. Retrieved 25 June 2011. 
  10. ^ [1]
  11. ^ http://www.nba.com/2012/news/01/23/players-of-the-week/index.html
  12. ^ Memphis Marc Gasol wins 2012-13 KIA NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award
  13. ^ "Grizzlies' Gasol named Kia Defensive Player of the Year". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. April 24, 2013. Archived from the original on April 24, 2013. 
  14. ^ Saini, Sunny (April 24, 2013). "Gasol's stingy defense earns award". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on April 24, 2013. 
  15. ^ "NBA Player Assists Statistics - 2012-13". 
  16. ^ Grizzlies' Allen, Heat's James headline 2012-13 NBA All-Defensive First Team
  17. ^ Marc Gasol left off LeBron James-led all-defensive team

External links [edit]

Portal icon National Basketball Association portal
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