Toronto’s Marc Gasol Preparing for Emotional First Matchup Against Former Memphis Grizzlies Team

Posted on August 8, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Marc Gasol is preparing for an emotional first…

The 35-year-old Spanish professional basketball player, currently playing for the Toronto Raptors, is mentally preparing to face-off against his former team.

Gasol played for parts of 11 seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies, going to three All-Star Games with the team’s jersey on his back, earning two All-NBA selections there and a Defensive Player of the Year award.

And now, he’ll play against his former team for the first time.

The Grizzlies face Gasol and the Raptors on Sunday. It’ll be the first game between the clubs since Gasol was traded to Toronto in February 2019 — a move that helped the Raptors win last season’s NBA championship.

Gasol said facing Memphis would be emotional.

“I got there when I was 16 years old. It was my first time out of Spain,” said Gasol, who still owns his Memphis home. “I started high school there as a teenager and left as a father of two kids. … My ties to the city and my roots go pretty deep and my love for the people there, what they mean and the franchise, it’s forever.”

Gasol helped Memphis make the playoffs in seven consecutive seasons including the 2013 run to the Western Conference finals. He’s the Grizzlies’ all-time leader for minutes played, field goals made, free throws made and attempted, rebounds, blocks and triple-doubles and is second in points — 49 behind Mike Conley.

The Raptors were supposed to have played back-to-back games against Memphis this season, going there on March 28 and then playing host to the Grizzlies March 30. Those games were called off due to the season suspension caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

“Obviously it’s a little bittersweet that we couldn’t play in the city of Memphis, to get that love and feel that Iove from the fans,” Raptors guard Fred VanVleet said. “But I’m sure he’ll be happy to see some familiar faces and a lot of the people that he spent a lot of time with over the years.”

Marc Gasol Makes History While Leading Spain to FIBA World Cup Championship

Posted on September 15, 2019 by Tom Castaneda

Marc Gasol is celebrating a rare feat…

The 34-year-old Spanish professional basketball player got to bask in a championship celebration for the second time in three months — and this time, he did it for his country. Tournament MVP Ricky Rubio scored 20 points, Sergio Llull added 15 and Spain won the FIBA World Cup for the second time by topping Argentina 95-75 on Sunday.

“We weren’t the most talented team,” Rubio said. “We weren’t the bigger team. Put anything you want, but we were the team with the biggest heart and we showed it tonight and we showed it during the whole tournament.”

Gasol scored 14 for the winners, who never trailed and added this crown to the one they claimed in 2006. And for him, 2019 will go down as a year the likes of which few others have enjoyed.

The Toronto Raptors center becomes the second player to win an NBA title and a FIBA world gold medal in the same year, joining Lamar Odom — who did it for the Los Angeles Lakers and USA Basketball in 2010. Gasol also became the 19th player to win either an NBA or WNBA crown along with a gold medal, either of the Olympic or World Cup variety, in the same year.

The first 18 all did it for the U.S.

This time, vamos Espana!

“NBA champion and a World Cup champion as well,” Gasol said. “What can I say? How does it sound to you? I feel very fortunate to be in this position and be able to play this game and help these guys be part of history of Spanish basketball.”

Llull and Rudy Fernandez — the team captain, who initially got to accept the Naismith Trophy — went to cut down the nets shortly after the final buzzer. Gasol carried the game ball to the gold-medal ceremony, and Spanish fans wept in the stands during the national anthem.

Gabriel Deck scored 24 points for Argentina (8-1), which got off to a slow start and played uphill the rest of the way. Luis Scola was held to eight points, shooting 1-for-10 from the floor.

“We’re sad right now. We’re very sad,” Scola said. “But I feel confident, in hours, we’ll be able to look back and be very proud. They just played better than us. They were better. They deserved to win. They were the better team in the game and the tournament.”

Spain led 43-31 at intermission, after putting together a 14-2 run to open the game and a 17-1 run later in the half.

“This is basketball,” Argentina coach Sergio Hernandez said. “If you play better than the other team, you win the game. And Spain was the best team today.”

Scola, who at 39 years old was still Argentina’s best player throughout the tournament, didn’t get on the score sheet until he made a pair of free throws with 2:57 left in the third quarter. But they only cut Spain’s lead to 19, and by then the Argentinian fans who stood, sang and chanted for much of the game were relatively quiet.

The day belonged to Spain.

And the year belongs to Gasol.

“It’s unbelievable,” Gasol said.

Joining Rubio on the all-tournament team were Gasol, Scola, France’s Evan Fournier and Serbia’s Bogdan Bogdanovic.

Marc Gasol Traded to the Toronto Raptors

Posted on February 9, 2019 by Tom Castaneda

Marc Gasolis headed to the Great White North.

The Memphis Grizzlies have traded the 24-year-old Spanish professional basketball player to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for Jonas Valanciunas, Delon Wright, CJ Miles and a 2024 second-round draft pick.

“Marc brings significant playoff experience to our team, which along with his savviness and leadership skills really helps position us for our ultimate postseason goal,” Raptors president Masai Ujirisaid Thursday night. “We look forward to welcoming Marc to our city and team.”

Head coach Nick Nursesaid he believes Gasol’s experience will give the Raptors “a settling force” come playoff time.

“I think that there’s a lot of positives with a guy like Gasol, and I think most of them come with being battle-tested,” Nurse said. “I think we all know that those playoffs can get wild and woolly, and he’s a guy that’s been through them many times.”

Gasol is averaging 15.7 points, 8.6 rebounds and a career-high 4.7 assists (which ranks second among NBAcenters, trailing only Nikola Jokic‘s 7.7). He is the Grizzlies’ franchise leader in points, rebounds, blocks and field goals made.

Gasol has been with the Grizzlies for 11 seasons, which was tied with Russell Westbrook for the fourth-longest tenure with one franchise among active players.

A three-time All-Starand the 2013 Defensive Player of the Year, Gasol has a 15 percent trade bonus that is valued at $1.28 million. The amount of his bonus (if not waived) will be applied to his $24.1 million salary.

Gasol also has a $25.6 million player option for next season.

Gasol Finalizing Two-Year Deal with San Antonio Spurs

Posted on July 5, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Pau Gasol is heading to the Lone Star State…

The 35-year-old Spanish basketball star has confirmed reports that he is finalizing a two-year deal ‎with the San Antonio Spurs worth in excess of $30 million, according to ESPN.

The deal will feature a player option in the second year, according to ESPN’s sources.

Gasol had emerged as the target of a lucrative free-agency bidding war that had also involved the Portland Trail Blazers, Minnesota Timberwolves and Toronto Raptors, sources said.

Gasol, who will turn 36 on Wednesday, spent the past two seasons with the Chicago Bulls and gave the team a solid offensive punch down on the blocks and provided a professional presence in the locker room.

Last year he averaged 16.5 points and 11.0 rebounds for a Bulls team that missed out on the playoffs.

Anthony Committed to Representing the U.S. at the 2016 Summer Games

Posted on June 24, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Carmelo Anthony is ready to play (Olympic) ball…

The United States men’s Olympic basketball team is taking shape, with the 32-year-old half-Puerto Rican basketball star among the players committed to representing the U.S. at the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro.

Anthony has been a member of the United States Olympic men’s national team three times, winning a bronze medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics and gold medals at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics. In 2012, Anthony set the USA men’s Olympic team record for most points in a single game when he scored 37 points against Nigeria.

In addition to Anthony, DeAndre Jordan, Jimmy Butler, Klay Thompson and Toronto Raptors teammates Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan have committed to representing the U.S.

Meanwhile, LeBron James confirmed Thursday that he won’t be a part of it.

Anthony has a chance to become the first men’s basketball player to win three Olympic gold medals.

USA Basketball will officially announce its 12-man roster for Rio next week.

Anthony said last month that he was unsure whether he’d play, in part because of concerns over the Zika virus, a mosquito-borne illness affecting Brazil. Other Olympics athletes have expressed concern over the virus.

Coach Mike Krzyzewski and his staff will hold a four-day training camp in Las Vegas from July 18 to July 21, and then the team will play five exhibition games, starting July 22 against Argentina and ending August 1 against Nigeria.

The Olympic basketball tournament will take place Aug. 6-21 in Rio de Janeiro.

Barbosa Agrees to One-Year, $2.5 Million Deal with the Golden State Warriors

Posted on July 7, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

It’ll be another golden season for Leandro Barbosa…

The 32-year-old Brazilian professional basketball player and veteran guard has agreed to a one-year, $2.5 million contract to stay with the NBA champion Golden State Warriors, according to ESPN.com.

Barbosa has bounced all over the league and played for six different teams in his 12 seasons. He was taken 28th overall by the San Antonio Spurs in 2003, then was traded to the Phoenix Suns, where he played his first seven seasons.

After stops with the Toronto Raptors, Indiana Pacers, Boston Celtics and Suns again, Barbosa signed a one-year deal with the Warriors in 2014.

The 6-foot-3 combo guard appeared in 66 games (one start) for the 67-win Warriors this past season, primarily backing up league MVP Stephen Curry. Barbosa averaged 7.1 points and 1.5 assists in 14.9 minutes per game.

Barbosa, an unrestricted free agent, made several key contributions in the playoffs, including 13 points in a Game 5 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals.

In 2007, Barbosa won the NBA Sixth Man of the Year award after averaging 18.1 points per game.

He holds career averages of 11.4 points and 2.3 assists in 22.9 minutes per game.

Barbosa Reaches One-Year Deal with the Golden State Warriors

Posted on August 29, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Leandro Barbosa has landed a golden opportunity…

The 31-year-old Brazilian professional basketball player has reportedly reached a deal to sign with the Golden State Warriors for the upcoming season, according to ESPN.com.

After Barbosa received initial interest from the Miami Heat, Golden State has secured a commitment from Barbosa on a one-year deal at the veteran minimum, according to NBA front-office sources.

Barbosa played 20 games last season with the Phoenix Suns, with whom he broke into the NBA in 2003-04. He’s also had stints with the Indiana Pacers, Toronto Raptors and Boston Celtics.

Golden State had been searching for guard depth and gladly struck a deal with Barbosa before this weekend’s start of the FIBA World Cup in Spain.

Barbosa joins fellow NBA veterans Nene, Tiago Splitter and Anderson Varejao in leading a Brazilian squad that sees itself as a real contender for the championship along with the two consensus favorites: Team USA and host Spain.

Asked recently about his NBA future, Barbosa told ESPN.com: “Man, I’m just really focused on this World Cup.”

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