The have retired the jersey of franchise legend , officially immortalizing his No. 33 in the rafters of FedExForum. Gasol became the second player in franchise history to have his jersey retired, joining former frontcourt partner Zach Randolph, who had his jersey retirement ceremony in December 2021. Gasol's jersey ceremony was a special moment as the Memphis Core Four during the Grit-and-Grind Era, including Randolph, Jr., and Tony Allen, were in attendance to witness Big Spain's enshrinement into Grizzlies
basketball lore. Big brother , who also made his own impact in Memphis, was also there and proudly expressed his elation for his younger sibling's hallmark feat. "So happy for him. So proud of him. He's done so much for this city and for his team. I just can't wait to celebrate him, to see him honored this way and to see the city of Memphis embracing him." - Pau Gasol Marc Gasol's Beginnings In Memphis Marc Gasol's
NBA career didn't quite start out the conventional way. Selected 48th overall by the in the 2007 NBA Draft, his draft rights were then traded in February 2008 in the deal that ironically sent Pau from Memphis to
Los Angeles. As seen by where he went in the draft, Marc Gasol wasn't as highly touted as his older brother was when he entered the league. Pau, the 3rd overall pick in the 2001 NBA Draft, had already established himself as an All-Star caliber player by the time the trade went down. When Marc entered the fray in Memphis, Pau had already made his mark in the city by becoming the team's franchise star and leading the team to three playoff appearances in the mid-2000s. Little did Grizzlies fans know that the younger Gasol, who was essentially a shoo-in in the blockbuster deal, would leave a bigger mark and usher in perhaps the greatest and most memorable era in franchise history. Marc Gasol Is A Legend In Memphis In Memphis, Gasol established himself as one of the premier centers in the NBA. Spending 10 and a half seasons with the Grizzlies, he became the team's defensive anchor and was one of the signature faces of the esteemed Grit-and-Grind era that Memphis fans came to love and embrace throughout the 2010s. Throughout his tenure, Gasol helped lead the Grizzlies to three 50-win seasons and seven straight playoffs from 2011 to 2017, including a Western Conference Finals appearance in 2013. With Memphis, he became a three-time All-Star, made two All-NBA selections, including a First-Team in 2015, and won the NBA's award in 2013. Gasol set a myriad of franchise records throughout his Grizzlies tenure. He is the franchise leader in rebounds, blocks, field goals made, and win shares and is second in total points, assists, and triple-doubles. Marc Gasol's Career Stats with the Memphis Grizzlies Games Played 769 2nd Points 11,684 2nd FGM 4,341 1st Rebounds 5,942 1st Assists 2,639 2nd Steals 708 3rd Blocks 1,135 1st Win Shares 77.4 1st Perhaps his most memorable moment as a Grizzly happened during their 2017 playoff run. In Game 4 of their first-round series against the , Gasol, as he has always done throughout his career, made an unorthodox floater to win the game for Memphis in front of their passionate home fans. Gasol's time in Memphis came to an end in 2018 when the acquired the Spanish big man from the Grizzlies at the February trade deadline. Gasol proved to be the final piece in Toronto's championship puzzle as his arrival gave the Raptors the defensive anchor they needed to man the middle en route to their historic title run. Gasol may not have won his NBA championship in Memphis, nor was he ultimately able to bring the Larry O'Brien trophy to the city. Nonetheless, Big
Spain will always be remembered most for being one of the main catalysts of the famed Grit-and-Grind Grizzlies. With everything he accomplished and brought to the franchise, there is a strong case to anoint Marc Gasol as the greatest Grizzly of all time.