Marc Gasol: ‘I used my head because I didn’t have the physique’ | Basketball | Sport

The Moroccan Pavilion, during the 1992 World Expo, hosted the fourth edition of the Spanish Basketball Hall of Fame in Seville, organized this Thursday by the Spanish Federation and the newspaper. ACE. This Hall of Fame opened its doors to 11 new members: Marc Gasol, Marina Ferragut, Jorge Garbajos, Betty Cebrian, Wayne Brabender, Drazen Petrovic (in memory) and Audie Norris as players; Judge Pilar Landeira; coach Moncho Monsalve; journalist Anthony Daimiel; and the U19 men’s team, the 2023 world champion in the team competition.

“The fact that we are here today is largely thanks to the work of Jorge Garbajosa,” said Elisa Aguilar, president of the Spanish Basketball Federation, opening the gala of the most important event in Spanish basketball. A fragment from the President, who in his first speech had words to embellish the figure of each of the winners.

“At this moment I would like to remember two very important people in my career,” Gasol said. “The first is Montse Peris, my high school coach who taught me how to compete. Then to a coach like Miguel Lopez Abril, an incredibly honest person. He told me that physically I was a brunette and that I needed to think with my head. I will always thank him because he was right and thanks to him I was able to continue moving forward,” he said after receiving the award. Little, almost nothing, remains of the guy Pep Hernandez called at Spain’s training camp in San Fernando in 2006. He ended up winning two World Cups with Spain in 2006 and 2019 (the only one with Rudy Fernandez). and an NBA ring with the Toronto Raptors in 2019.

“I was also lucky that I was born into the family I was born into. And good luck to my partner in having my children. The road became invincible after those fights over Pau on the patio of my grandparents’ house. It was not a dream, it was reality,” added Marc Gasol.

“I don’t deserve this award. My goal in life is basketball, but never forget the people who are around you,” Moncho Monsalve said in an emotional speech. He is one of the most successful coaches in Spanish basketball. 24 years later, from 1999 to 2023, the Spanish U19 team again won the World Cup in this category. For this reason, he received recognition at an event that could not be attended by Aleksandar Petrovic, Drazen’s brother, who was also inducted into the Spanish Basketball Hall of Fame 31 years after his tragic death in a road accident.

Since Petrovic was stuck in Munich, it was Fernando Romaj who received the award on behalf of the family of the Croatian genius. “Drazen was a genius, but I learned something during the year I was with him in Madrid. Behind this genius there was a lot of work, he did not stop working,” Romay himself said. “This is a message for the youngest people because they have worked harder than anyone else,” he said.

A total of 28 titles with Madrid belong to Wayne Brabender, the third highest scorer in the history of the Spanish national team. “It was an honor to defend the Spain jersey,” said Brabender, who was helped to the stage by Marc Gasol because of knee problems.

Pilar Landeira spoke about her development as an international judge. After retiring in 2004, she competed in the 2000 Sydney Olympics. “There are many people behind this award, such as coaches, who helped me become a better referee and opened doors that were unthinkable for match management in the ACB,” she said. .

“I played for six years at Barcelona, ​​where I also developed as a person. “Basketball was my life,” explained Audie Norris, who starred in legendary battles with Real Madrid center Fernando Martin in the 1980s.

Rounding out the list of winners were Marina Ferragut, who played 253 times for the Spanish national team, Betty Cebrian, Jorge Garbajosa and journalist Antoni Daimiel. “You can’t always win. We have a good selection. “It’s a special night for me,” Garbajosa said.