Marc Gasol Announces Retirement After 14 NBA Seasons
Three-time all-star and 14-year NBA veteran Marc Gasol has officially announced his retirement from basketball, tweeting “End of a chapter. Thank you”. Gasol had been playing for Básquet Girona, a club he helped found in 2014 since he last played in the NBA during the 2021 season. Marc began his professional career with FC Barcelona and CB Girona in Spain and was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers with the 48th selection in the 2007 draft. After trading his rights to the Memphis Grizzlies in a deal that included Marc’s older brother, Pau, Marc signed with the Grizzlies in 2008.
Gasol spent his first 11 seasons in Memphis and earned a Defensive Player of the Year award in 2013. He helped establish a gritty, tough-nosed brand of basketball with a tight core that included Mike Conley, Zach Randolph, and Rudy Gay. In a league that didn’t previously have very many big men who could facilitate, Gasol was an exception and a springboard for how an offense could be run through a center with the skillset of a guy like Gasol. Think of Marc Gasol as a predecessor of the unicorns we know today such as Nikola Jokic, Domantas Sabonis, and Alperen Sengun.
Midway through the 2018-19 season, the Grizzlies parted ways with Gasol, trading him to the Toronto Raptors and helping the Raptors secure their first NBA championship. Gasol stayed with the Raptors for another year before ending his career with a stint on the Lakers, the team who originally drafted him in a full-circle moment. Gasol ended his NBA career with averages of 14 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game. The Grizzlies have previously stated publicly that they plan to retire Gasol’s #33 jersey. Following his NBA career coming to a close, Gasol inserted himself in Básquet Girona’s lineup in 2022. His leadership and ageless talent boosted the club to Spain’s first division in just his first season playing. Gasol has always stayed close to his Spanish heritage, and Spain has returned the favor over his playing career with endless appreciation and respect for Marc.
