Marc Gasol got his No. 33 jersey retired by the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night. Many of his former teammates sent congratulatory messages to Gasol, including Dillon Brooks, who hilariously revealed Gasol called him a 'fool' during his rookie year and never said his name.
"What's up, Marc? It's your boy DB," Brooks said. "Been a minute since I seen you but congratulations on getting your number retired and I'll never forget, my whole rookie year when you were calling me a fool the whole time, never said my name once. That sharpened me as a basketball player so I appreciate you and enjoy your night."
I can totally see Brooks getting on Gasol's nerves as a rookie to the point where he started calling him a fool. It's all love now though and the Houston Rockets guard believes that treatment did help him down the road. It toughened him up a bit and he doesn't seem to get all that fazed by a lot of the criticism that comes his way.
Brooks arrived in Memphis in 2017 as the 45th pick of the draft and Gasol was the star on the team back then. While Brooks would have hoped to learn a lot from the veteran Spaniard over time, they wouldn't be teammates for too long.
With the Grizzlies entering a rebuild, they traded Gasol to the Toronto Raptors in February 2019. It was the end of an era in Memphis, one that the fans there still look back upon fondly.
Marc Gasol's Career With The Grizzlies
Gasol was initially drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers in 2007 only for his draft rights to be traded to the Grizzlies as part of the package for his brother, Pau Gasol, in 2008. At the time, the trade was considered a robbery of sorts, as the Grizzlies weren't getting much for a star like Pau. His younger brother, however, would soon show that he was a star in his own right.
Gasol would end up playing 10 and a half seasons for the Grizzlies, during which he averaged 15.2 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 0.9 steals, and 1.5 blocks per game. He was a three-time All-Star during his time with the franchise and also won Defensive Player of the Year in 2013.
Gasol was one of the leaders of the "Grit and Grind" era in Memphis, as he, Zach Randolph, and Mike Conley led the franchise to new heights. The Grizzlies were among the contenders in the Western Conference during the early 2010s thanks to that trio and they took the franchise to the Conference Finals for the first and only time in franchise history in 2013.
They were never able to get over the line and win that championship and Gasol would eventually get traded in 2019 as I mentioned earlier. Still, I would say he deserved to have his jersey retired.
Gasol is the Grizzlies' all-time leader in rebounds (5,942) and blocks (1,135). He also ranks second all-time for points (11,684) and games played (769). He is certainly one of the greatest players in franchise history and became just the second player to get the honor of having their jersey retired after Zach Randolph's was retired in 2021.
More must-reads: