Marc Gasol won his first career NBA title with the Toronto Raptors last month, but it actually would not have happened had he gotten his own way.
Speaking with reporters in Europe this week, the veteran center spoke about how he wanted to stay with the Memphis Grizzlies.
“There have been few players that haven’t been traded over the years in the NBA,” said Gasol, per Alex Madrid of EuroHoops. “If it had been depended on me, I wouldn’t have been traded. I always thought I could reverse the situation there and bring the team to the top. But, thank God, they ignored me.”
The 34-year-old Gasol had been a Grizzlies lifer before being dealt to Toronto at the February trade deadline, spending the first ten seasons of his career with them. The team is rebuilding now however and parted ways with all of Gasol’s other Grit N Grind-era teammates as well, including Tony Allen, Zach Randolph, and Mike Conley.
As for Gasol himself, he seemed antsy for an NBA title while still in Memphis. Now that he has successfully captured one with the Raptors, it’s safe to say that the split worked out well for both sides.
