Memphis Grizzlies General Manager Chris Wallace announced today that the team has re-signed center Marc Gasol to a multi-year contract. According to the Associated Press, it is “a five-year maximum contract worth more than $100 million.”
“Re-signing Marc Gasol was the No. 1 priority for our organization this offseason,” General Manager Chris Wallace said. “For many years, Marc has been a pillar of our franchise and in a Memphis community that has watched him become one of the best basketball players in the world, so this is a great day for our team, our city and our fans across the Mid-South and worldwide.”
Last season, Gasol (7-1, 255) averaged a career-high 17.4 points on 49.4 percent shooting, 7.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.62 blocks in 33.2 minutes in 81 games (all starts), guiding Memphis to 55 wins and a fifth consecutive appearance in the NBA Playoffs. He averaged 19.7 points, 10.3 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.73 blocks in 11 postseason games in leading Memphis to the Western Conference Semifinals for the third time in franchise history.
The 30-year-old scored 30-or-more points five times, including a career-high 33 points in the regular season finale on April 15 vs. Indiana, after doing so just once in his first six NBA seasons. Gasol continued to display his all-around versatility and was the only player in the league with at least 1,300 points, 600 rebounds and 300 assists.
During his career year, Gasol was named a starter in the 2015 NBA All-Star Game and was selected to the 2015 All-NBA First Team, becoming the first player in franchise history to be honored as either an All-Star starter or a member of the All-NBA First Team. He became one of just three second round draft picks since the NBA-ABA merger to make an All-NBA First Team (Dennis Johnson in 1981; Mark Price in 1993).
Gasol has accumulated many “firsts” over his first seven years with the Grizzlies organization. Gasol was named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year and selected to the All-NBA Second Team in 2013. He is the only player in club history to be recognized on either the All-NBA First Team or Second Team or to be named to multiple All-NBA Teams. Among his accolades, he is a two-time All-Star (2012, 2015) and one of just two Grizzlies (Zach Randolph in 2010 and 2013) to appear in multiple All-Star Games. In addition, he has been named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team (2013) and NBA All-Rookie Second Team (2009) as well as Western Conference Player of the Week in January 2012.
Originally drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers with the 48th overall pick in the second round in the 2007 NBA Draft, Gasol owns career averages of 14.1 points on 50.9 percent shooting, 7.9 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.55 blocks in 33.7 minutes in 517 games (510 starts) over seven seasons with the Grizzlies. Memphis acquired his draft rights from Los Angeles in a package for his older brother Pau Gasol on Feb. 1, 2008. The Barcelona native played high school ball in Memphis for Lausanne while Pau played for the Grizzlies and was named the MVP of the Spanish ACB league as a member of Akasvayu Girona before signing with Memphis prior to the 2008-09 season.
In the Grizzlies’ career record books, Gasol ranks first in defensive rebounds (3,003); second in games played (517), games started (510), minutes played (17,399), field goal percentage (.509) and blocks (802); third in free throws made (1,787) and attempted (2,359), offensive rebounds (1,066) and total rebounds (4,069); fourth in assists (1,552); and fifth in points (7,285) and steals (477). He set the single-season franchise record for field goal percentage by shooting 58.1 percent in 2009-10.
