Marc Gasol Sáez (Catalan: [ˈmaɾɡ ɡəˈzɔl], Spanish: [ˈmaɾk gaˈsol]; born 29 January 1985) is a Spanish former professional basketball player who is the president of Bàsquet Girona of the Liga ACB. The center is a two-time All-NBA Team member and a three-time NBA All-Star. He was named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year with the Memphis Grizzlies in 2013, and won an NBA championship with the Toronto Raptors in 2019.
Gasol was drafted 48th overall by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2007 NBA draft. After having his rights traded to Memphis in February 2008 in a deal that sent his older brother Pau Gasol to the Lakers, he signed with the Grizzlies and remained with the franchise until being traded to Toronto in 2019. He rejoined the Lakers in 2020 for one season.
Gasol has been a regular member of the Spain national team since 2006. He has won two Olympic silver medals and two FIBA Basketball World Cup titles. In the EuroBasket, he has won two titles, a silver medal, and two bronze medals.
Gasol was born and raised in Barcelona, Spain. In 2001, he moved as a teenager with his parents to the Memphis suburb of Germantown, Tennessee, after his older brother Pau joined the Memphis Grizzlies. Gasol played high school basketball at Lausanne Collegiate School in Memphis. Nicknamed "The Big Burrito," he was named Division 2's Mr. Basketball in 2003 following a senior season in which he averaged 26 points, 13 rebounds, and six blocks per game. In 2008, Lausanne retired Gasol's number 33 jersey.
After graduating from Lausanne, Gasol returned to his home country of Spain to play in the Liga ACB for FC Barcelona.
After three seasons with Barcelona, Gasol signed with Girona in 2006. In 2008, he was named the ACB Most Valuable Player.
Gasol was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers with the 48th overall pick in the 2007 NBA draft. On February 1, 2008, his draft rights were traded by the Lakers to the Memphis Grizzlies as part of a trade package that included his older brother, Pau, who was sent from the Grizzlies to the Lakers. On July 9, 2008, he signed with the Grizzlies. He set a franchise rookie record for field goal percentage in a season with 53 percent. The previous record was held by Pau with 51.8 percent in 2001–02. He subsequently earned NBA All-Rookie Second Team honors. After averaging 11.9 points and 7.4 rebounds as a rookie, he averaged 14.6 points and 9.3 rebounds in 2009–10 with a career-best .581 field goal percentage.
The 2010–11 season saw Gasol average 11.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, a career-high 2.5 assists and 1.68 blocks in 81 games (all starts). He then posted 15.0 points, 11.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 2.15 blocks in helping lead the Grizzlies through a 13-game run in the 2011 NBA Playoffs. Memphis, which had never even won a playoff game before 2011, defeated the Western Conference's top-seeded San Antonio Spurs in the opening round, then went to a deciding seventh game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Gasol led the Grizzlies in field goal accuracy and blocked shots in each of his first three NBA seasons.
2011–12 season: First All-Star selection
On December 14, 2011, Gasol re-signed with the Grizzlies to a four-year, $58 million contract. On January 23, 2012, he was named Western Conference Player of the Week for games played January 16–22. On February 9, 2012, he was named an NBA All-Star for the first time, earning a place on the Western Conference roster as a reserve for the 2012 NBA All-Star Game.
2012–13 season: Defensive Player of the Year
In 2012–13, Gasol was one of only six players to average at least 1.5 blocks (1.7 bpg) and 1.0 steals (1.0 spg). He led a Grizzlies defense that allowed a league-low 88.7 points per game during the regular season. His +5.4 score differential ranked second among NBA centers; additionally, Memphis enjoyed a +7.5 score differential when Gasol was on the court compared with -3.9 when he was on the bench. In April 2013, he was named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year, becoming the first player in Grizzlies history to earn the honour, the first Spanish man to win, and the first European to win. ESPN lauded the Grizzlies' ability to force turnovers with Gasol on the court anchoring the defense. He was also named to the All-NBA Second Team. Despite winning Defensive Player of the Year, Gasol was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team due to a different voting system.
In 2013–14, Gasol played a career-low 59 games. A left MCL sprain suffered on November 22 against the San Antonio Spurs sidelined him for 23 games from November 25 to January 12.
2014–15 season: All-NBA First Team selection
The 2014–15 season saw Gasol earn his second NBA All-Star selection, earning his first All-Star start, and was named to the All-NBA First Team for the first time. He averaged a career-best 17.4 points to go with 7.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists for the 55-win Grizzlies. He scored 30-plus points five times after doing so just once in his first six seasons. He set career-highs in field goals made and attempted, as well as free throws made and attempted. He was the only player in the league with at least 1,300 points, 600 rebounds, and 300 assists.
2015–16 season: Contract extension
On July 13, 2015, Gasol re-signed with the Grizzlies on a five-year maximum contract worth an estimated $110 million. On November 20, he recorded his first career triple-double with 16 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists in a 96–84 win over the Houston Rockets, marking the first triple-double for Memphis since 2007 when his brother Pau recorded 17 points, 13 rebounds, and 12 assists. Gasol set a new career low for games played with 52 after missing the second half of the season with a broken right foot.
2016–17 season: Career high in scoring