After winning the championship in 2020, the Los Angeles Lakers decided to make some changes at the center position alongside Anthony Davis, notable bringing in former All-Star Marc Gasol.
Similar to his brother Pau, Marc was a fundamentally sound big man and an exceptional passer as a 7-footer. Gasol would play 52 games with the Lakers, starting 42 contests and averaging 5 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.1 steals on 45.4% from the field and 41% from 3-point range.
While L.A. got Gasol for his final season in the NBA, he proved to play well with Davis and LeBron James. The Spaniard was arguably the best big man during the Davis-James era due to his IQ and passing ability. It’s been a couple years since then though and it appears Gasol’s playing career has officially come to an end as he took to social media on Wednesday to announce his retirement from the game of basketball:
– Final d’un capítol. Gràcies
– End of a chapter. Thank you
– Final de un capítulo. Gracias pic.twitter.com/p6qeigl4BE— Marc Gasol (@MarcGasol) January 31, 2024
It was a great career for the big man, who was particularly known for his time with the Memphis Grizzlies. He was originally drafted by the Lakers but was eventually traded for his own brother, which resulted in the Lakers getting championships and Memphis receiving a tremendous defensive anchor.
In 2019 when Gasol was traded from the Grizzlies to the Toronto Raptors, he went on to win a championship with Toronto again playing a role of a spacing center who still was capable of protecting the rim at a decent rate.
Defense was his calling card, winning the 2012-13 Defensive Player of the Year. He had three All-Star Game appearances and two All-NBA appearances during his time in the NBA, making an impact both on and off the floor wherever he went.
Reflecting on Gasol’s career, he played a total of 769 games, starting in 762 on them. He averaged 14 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.4 blocks on 48.1% from the field and 36% from 3-point range. With all he accomplished both in the NBA and internationally, Marc could soon be joining his brother Pau in the Basketball Hall of Fame.
Lakers sent Grizzlies their own unprotected 2024 second-round pick in Marc Gasol trade
Towards the latter half of the 2020-21 season, it was clear that Marc Gasol was unhappy about how things went after being phased out of the rotation. Due in part to L.A. signing Andre Drummond on the buyout market, Gasol lost his starting job and the majority of his minutes.
The two sides would move on in the 2021 offseason when the Lakers would trade Gasol back to where it all started with the Grizzlies. Memphis waived Gasol, who wanted to go back to Spain to complete his basketball career in his home country.
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