The Gasol brothers, Pau Gasol and Marc Gasol spent over a decade each, playing in the NBA. The Spanish brothers have an age gap of four years, and nearly same was the gap between their debuts. Before coming to the States, the Gasol brothers played professionally in the ACB, which is the top basketball league in Spain. Not only that, but the brothers started in the NBA, playing for the Memphis Grizzlies.
Marc Gasol played a total of 11 seasons in Memphis. During his tenure, Marc and the Grizzlies went as far as the Conference Finals and made multiple postseason appearances. Apart from that, Marc was a three-time All-Star, two-time All-NBA first team, and 2013 Defensive Player of the Year. He went on to win his first championship with the Toronto Raptors in 2019, having left the Grizzlies the very previous year.
Marc’s accolades are enough to narrate his time in the league. On April 6th, the Memphis Grizzlies retired Marc Gasol’s jersey, as the Gasol brothers became the first brother-duo to have their jerseys retired in NBA history. On the other hand, Pau Gasol had his jersey retired by the Lakers in March 2023.
Marc Gasol was an underrated passer
While the big man was one of the primary scorers of his team and also a great rebounder, his passing was often overlooked. Gasol dropped dimes like that of a guard being the center of the squad. His court vision was often looked upon. In 2011, he led the Grizzlies past the first-seeded Spurs in the first round, becoming one of the size teams to ever do it.
During his prime, Gasol averaged just under four assists per game. While that number is pretty low for someone with a great passing ability, for a big man to have that in his game was a big deal at the time. In a lot of aspects, Gasol’s game was decently underrated. He led the franchise in minutes played, blocks, field goals, rebounds, and triple-doubles.
Not finding much success in Memphis, Gasol was traded to the Raptors in 2019. Joining forces with Kawhi Leonard, Gasol won his first ring after 12 years in the league. After achieving an amazing feat, the Gasol brothers have left a career to be looked upon. With a combined three championships and an endless list of accolades, the two Hall of Famers have had an incredible career.
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