Barça, Akasvayu, Grizzlies, Raptors, Lakers and now Girona, the incredible journey of Marc Gasol

In his three years at Barça he failed to curdle. He made his debut in the ACB on October 26, 2003 with a victory against Estudiantes in a season in which he won the League and in which he had little participation. In 2004-2005 he played 20 games in the ACB and also played in the Euroleague, with increasing numbers (5.1 points, 3.7 rebounds), which suggested his consolidation. The arrival of Dusko Ivanovic to the bench in 2005 closed the way in his third year putting Marconato and Bourousis ahead in the center position. Marc, aged 20, barely played 9 minutes and decided to make his way to Girona. That same summer he would explode with the national team at the World Cup in Japan.

Fontajau was able to enjoy his best version in the ACB. Reinforced by the World Cup gold, with Svetislav Pesic on the bench, and friends like San Emeterio and Sada in the dressing room, Marc began to shine. And he achieved two titles: Lliga Catalana and FIBA ​​Eurocup, averaging 9.1 points and 4.6 rebounds in 18 minutes on average. His second season was spectacular and he saw a dominant Marc. He achieved the MVP title in matchday 11, surpassing the record held by Sabonis, and ended up being elected the MVP of the League.

The Grizzlies seized their rights in the operation that brought his brother Pau to the Lakers in February 2008, since the Los Angeles team is the one that had chosen him in the ‘draft’ (2nd round, 48th place) a year before. His arrival raised some doubts. Many called the deal the robbery of the century. But time ended up giving him the value of the operation. In his 11 years, Marc was a key piece in the best Grizzlies in history alongside Mike Conley and Zach Randolph, with two semifinals and a final in the West. He was elected Best Defender of the NBA in 2013 and reached the All-Star three times, one of them, that of 2015, in which he starred in the initial jump with his brother at Madison in New York. He also became the top rebounder in team history.

His time in Toronto was brief but intense. He came to the Raptors in February 2019, in an exchange like the one his brother experienced, in exchange for Jonas Valanciunas, Delon Wright and CJ Miles, and the Raptors found in the center of Sant Boi the necessary piece to get the first ring of the franchise, alongside Serge Ibaka and Sergio Scariolo, assistant coach of the Raptors, beating the Golden State Warriors in the final. It was the third ring for Spanish basketball, after Pau’s two. Toronto made history by being the first non-American team to win the title. That same summer he was key in the conquest of the second world title with the team in Beijing.

After closing his time in Toronto, Marc entered the market, with offers from Dallas and Brooklyn, but ended up accepting the Lakers’ offer for two seasons and a minimum wage (2.6 million dollars) in search of his second ring. . The Los Angeles team, led by LeBron James, was trying to consolidate the squad that won the title a year earlier. And Marc closed the circle, going back to the team that drafted him. But his game did not quite fit into the idea of ​​coach Frank Vogel and ended up having a marginal role (5 points, 4, 1 rebounds) in some Lakers eliminated in the first of the ‘play-offs’. Before the start of the 2021-2022 season, and after participating in the Tokyo Games, the Lakers transferred him to the Grizzlies, who gave him the letter of freedom.