Marc Gasol had his big day as the Memphis Grizzlies retired his number 33 jersey. With this, he has become the second player in the Grizzlies’ history to get his jersey retired from the franchise. Prior to this, only Zach Randolph had this honor from Memphis back in 2021. 

Notably, both names so far come from Grizzlies’ popular Core Four. It is worth mentioning that the Core Four of the Grizzlies consisted of four players—Zach Randolph, Marc Gasol, Tony Allen, and Mike Conley. And all of them re-uniting was one of the major highlights of Gasol’s jersey retirement ceremony.

Core Four and their contribution to the Grizzlies

The foundational step in laying the ‘core four’ for the Grizzlies was Conley landing in the Grizzlies in 2007. The second one to follow was Marc Gasol, in 2008. Notably, Gasol’s entry on the team involved a trade with his brother Pau. The Core Four gained face after the subsequent entry of Randolph and later Tony.

Grizzlies witnessed one of the best phases of franchise history with these four players together on the team. The quartet made feats like 56-win in a season and a Western Conference final appearance possible for the Grizzlies. And even to date, almost all the leaderboard standings of Grizzlies have names from the core-4 all over it.

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In terms of points scored, games played, minutes played, field goals and steals, the top three names in each category are from the core-4. Meanwhile, in terms of free throws, total rebounds, assists and blocks, the top three names in each category have at least two names from the core-4.

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Notably, each member of the Core Four was on the team for at least a duration of 7 years. According to Gasol, the last time the Core Four shared a room was during Allen and Randolph’s last season in 2017. So this reunion was not just special for the 39-year-old but also for the Grizzlies’ fans from the core-4 era.

The Core Four’s address on Marc Gasol’s big day

The fans may always have wondered what it was that made the chemistry between these four players so great. And all four of them took this opportunity to speak their minds about what they believed was the reason behind their quartet’s success. “We all respected each other… We all came from a background where we had to… pretty much prove ourselves and had a chip on our shoulders. So when you got four guys, that’s coming to prove something… other teams need to watch out,” said Tony Allen.

Zach Randolph too agreed with Allen’s point and added that all of them being blue-collar players kept them humble. “We all humble, and we hungry…” he said. Meanwhile, Mike Conley mentioned he was the youngest one among the four. So he really used to listen to the other three guys. He also credited other players who he believes were part of the Grizzlies’ grit and grind era, including Rudy Gay, Mike Miller and Tayshaun Prince.

Eventually, the man of the honor, Marc Gasol, was asked about his belief behind all coming together so well. “It was a combination of a lot of things, but the trust and the loyalty that we had on one another alongside, like Mike said of, you know, all our teammates and our coaches and how much we invested in the team and in the city,” he stated.

What do you think of the core four and their time in Grizzlies? In your opinion, which combination of players has had maximum success and synergy in the league? Let us know your views in the comments.

16YO Marc Gasol Left Home Because of Brother Pau Only to Later Establish Iconic Grizzlies Legacy