Marc Gasol retires: ‘After 20 years of playing basketball, it’s my turn’ | Basketball | Kinds of sports

He pondered this decision for a long time, as his body no longer responded the way it used to and his head preferred managing papers and workgroups rather than working on the hardwood. He also received a tempting offer from his former team, the Memphis Grizzlies, to return to the NBA, a paid minor role on better terms, a club that also intends to retire his jersey. But 39-year-old Marc Gasol preferred the routine of family and office to the one he acquired over so many years on the court, between the gym and the orange ball. “I had great offers, but the best was to invest in my family. This made it difficult for me. The fact that the team lost also postponed the event, which was scheduled a few weeks ago,” he explained. So this Wednesday, although he had already made the decision a few days ago, he announced it in the Cinemas Texas in Barcelona: he is retiring as a basketball player. In any case, he will continue to be president of Basque Girona, the club he re-founded and has led since 2014. “After 20 years of loving and playing basketball, I had to do something. Instead of hiding, it said it was all over,” Mark mused; “It touched me. If I had continued to play, it would have been for the wrong reasons. “Now is the time to retire from basketball.”

Accompanied by his family, his younger brother Adria and his parents Agustí and Marisa, as well as his wife Cristina and daughter (Pau was not present), Marc appeared on stage dressed in formal black in a room full of personalities who also wanted to be in such an emotional moment as in the case of his former teammate and now Barça basketball director Juan Carlos Navarro, as well as the president of the coaches’ association Joan Maria Gavalda. So what now? It was this question that formed the basis of Gasol’s farewell to basketball, at least in underwear and sneakers, as well as a secondary slogan that could be seen on the screen of the Texas Cinemas. And now he has a different life. He explained this in several videos in which several of his former colleagues asked him what he would do next… His answer was another video of him analyzing his career and life decisions. “The moment came that was so terrible. One question haunts you your whole life. If we are all made of the same thing, because sometimes you feel so different, so out of place,” he asked himself to explain that he had found his way in basketball, although at first, when he came to Memphis (he was accompanied by a brother from the NBA) didn’t know where he was. So what now? This was said every time a cycle or stage ended. He always responded with a basket or a ball. Now let go. But he will continue to play basketball and become president of Girona.

Mark abruptly left the Lakers in 2021, after which he swapped the NBA for Liga LEB Oro, Spain’s second division. He left behind a 13-year career in basketball’s elite, having passed through three franchises: Memphis, Toronto and Los Angeles. 990 games in which he made a name for himself – now far from the shadow of his brother Pau – he was named the NBA’s best defender each time in 2013, he was part of the competition’s best quintet in 2015 and participated in it three times. in the All-Star Game and also won a ring with the Raptors (2019). At the same time, he also left his mark and won medals with the Spanish national team (defending the jersey from 2006 to 2021 in 191 games), as he won the World Cup twice (2006 and 2019) and EuroBasket twice (2009 and 2019). 2011).), as well as vice-miss of the Olympic Games in Beijing (2008) and London (2012).

His first steps, in any case, were taken in the youth academy of Barcelona and after three seasons in the first team – he won the title in 2004 – he went to Acasvaia Girona, where he uncorked his best version (he was chosen MVP). tournament in the 2007-08 school year) before performing North and South America. The love he had for the city and the defunct club was so great that Basque Girona was refounded in 2014, then under the hand of Pau, who served as vice-president. However, always present in decision-making, Mark decided to help the team attack LEB Oro in 2021. All said and done, the player and finally the president, as the ACB changed the bylaws so that he could combine the two tasks. “Perhaps the promotion was the best moment because of what it meant and how it was achieved. It was a special moment,” Mark reflected, ignoring, for example, the NBA ring; “But I wouldn’t change a second of what I’ve experienced, the mistakes and the successes. “I have no thorns left.”

Capital in the second division, his performance in the Endesa League has practically not decreased, since in the previous season, when Aito was on the bench, he averaged 10.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.3 blocks. shots and 0.7 average robberies. But after many years on the floor, he realized that he liked the slow part more than the intuitive part. “On the outside I have a lot of patience. But on the track I don’t have that time. External, rational; passionate inside,” he mused a couple of years ago; “When I see that on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday the club management motivates me more, I already understand that this is coming to an end.” This Wednesday he added: “Last year I reached my physical limit. “I was hurt and I made a decision.” However, it happened that he really liked basketball. So much so that he didn’t dare say he was done at the start of this season, although he did announce that he would be staying short for the time being. “Making this decision is costing me more than I expected, saying goodbye is not so easy,” he decided, although he also foresaw that his physical condition was no longer what it was and that he ended the year very low on fuel. The decision is now irrevocable; it was made by him in November. “He told me I could still play. It was a long and difficult process, and part of me doesn’t agree with the outcome,” Gasol agreed, adding: “But I take it naturally and I’m convinced of it, even though you know you can help. But it’s time to step back, enjoy it and see what basketball has given me, which is a lot.”

His former teammates will miss him on the court – although Djordjevic and Sorolla occupy the center position – now that they are fighting for their money to avoid relegation with a balance of eight wins and 12 losses in the ACB, due to the burn difference of two games with Obradoiro, Granada and Breogán. The advantage will be reduced if we take into account that at the beginning of the year Girona were a revelation team, so much so that they dreamed of getting into the Copa del Rey. But the final results were not very good, and Gasol, along with his sports council, decided to fire Salva Camp in exchange for Fotis Katsikaris – a former Unicaja player, among many others from the ACB and an NBA assistant in Utah – to turn the tide. the team’s decline. A team where Mark would no longer be a teammate, but the president.

Taking care of the organization’s growth, it has grown from five teams to 30 (over 70 coaches) since 2014, in addition to 3×3 basketball (his brother Pau has a special focus on it) and wheelchair basketball. They have also increased the number of fans from 150 during the first team matches to 4,000 who fill the pavilion every week. Their model, extrapolated as much as possible from the NBA, not only guarantees a game, but also an experience throughout the day. “That’s why we’re bringing a speed skating team, a dance or music team, a DJ from the area… In addition to a good gastronomic offer in the pavilion. This is important because it does not limit player contact. They need to be re-educated and made to understand that they are part of the community in which they play. We have school programs where they will give lectures. Or the social activities they should choose. We give them options: social, environmental, for example, collecting plastic from the river or the sea… They come to Girona not only to play and live well. They have to buy in,” agrees Gasol, who lists the three pillars of the organization: methodology, effort and commitment. “Girona used to be Marc Gasol’s personal project. Now he identifies with me, but my image will fade, and the club will be above him, because this is not only my life project, but also the project of many people.” But for this to happen, it takes time. So far, Mark only leaves the slopes to sit in the penalty area. “I’m in no hurry to decide what will replace basketball. I want to be the best son, father, husband…” concluded the boy who dreamed of playing football and ended up with an orange ball in his hands. The one who gave him his first and last name, also history, and now to Girona.

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