Facing Bankruptcy Horror, Marc Gasol Postponed NBA Dream to Play “Free” Basketball for Catalonian Team

Published 02/13/2024, 9:47 AM EST

The Gasol brothers have marked their names in the NBA’s history books. Pau Gasol is an NBA Hall of Famer who has 2 NBA titles and 6 All-Star appearances to his name among several other notable achievements. Marc Gasol on the other hand is the 2019 NBA champion and is soon going to have his jersey retired by the Memphis Grizzlies on April 6th.

The Gasol brothers are the only brothers in the league’s history to have won an NBA championship in their respective careers. Recently Pau unveiled a lesser-known fact about his brother.

The Hall of Famer revealed that Marc had NBA offers at hand way before he made his NBA debut in 2008. Pau said that his brother was so determined to reignite the basketball culture in his city that he didn’t hesitate to put his NBA dreams on hold. The 2x NBA champion said, “He had opportunities, we had NBA offers.” However, Marc decided that he would prioritize the future of CB Girona before he took up the NBA’s challenges. Marc’s team at the time was a 2nd division team and he was adamant about bringing it up to the 1st division. He succeeded in his goal, but he also lost quite a lot during that time.

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Pau said, “He had NBA offers, turned them down to play for free in the 2nd division…that’s crazy.” The proud brother stated that all that Marc did for his team only goes to show the type of person he is.

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Marc Gasol’s ambitious project went bankrupt after he left

Pau said that Marc’s ambition for Girona was so strong because he could see the “bigger picture.” The ex-NBA star wanted to bring attention and interest to his own league before pursuing his NBA dreams. He said, “He saw more meaning, he saw something extremely meaningful to him and valuable, you know. He saw he needed to return, I mean that team he played for two years before going to the NBA…he was the MVP of the Spanish league that last year, and then the team disappeared, went bankrupt.”

Pau said that his brother “Basically created a basketball team, four-five years of just youth team from 13 to 18…and then four-five he said okay I’m going to create a senior team.” Despite Marc’s efforts, the team could not manage to stay afloat after he made his NBA debut where he played for the next 13 years. After a few years of experimenting, the team was eventually dissolved in 2013.

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Written by:

Prateek Singh is a senior NBA writer for EssentiallySports, known for his insightful coverage of the league. With a deep passion for basketball fueled by the late Kobe Bryant's championship runs, Prateek has built his writing career on astute analysis and a firm understanding of the game. His area of expertise lies in breaking down trade reports and their implications for fans.

Edited by:

Caroline Joseph

Facing Bankruptcy Horror, Marc Gasol Postponed NBA Dream to Play “Free” Basketball for Catalonian Team

Marc Gasol’s ambitious project went bankrupt after he left

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