Inside Marc Gasol's Memphis Grizzlies jersey retirement ceremony and return of Core Four, others
Marc Gasol told himself he wouldn't watch the documentary presented by the Memphis Grizzlies on his career until he was on the flight back to Spain. He didn't want to get too emotional ahead of the jersey retirement ceremony.
But Gasol couldn't resist. He had a change of plans on Saturday morning and finally took a look.
As Gasol stood on stage at center court of FedExForum later that evening, he shared his two biggest takeaways with a crowd that looked to still be close to capacity after the Grizzlies fell 116-96 to the 76ers.
His first takeaway was that he needed to work out. Then, Gasol turned behind him, where a group of former teammates who had played previously with him were sitting and issued an apology.
Gasol apologized to his teammates for being so tough on them, adding he just wanted to win so much.
Gasol's former teammates appeared to laugh off the apology.
"Our team, we're a band of brothers," former Grizzlies forward Quincy Pondexter told The Commercial Appeal. "We really went through the wars together. Marc Gasol is one of the best people, best teammates you'll ever be around."
Saturday's jersey retirement celebration felt like a reunion. It was the first time Zach Randolph, Mike Conley and Tony Allen shared a room with Gasol since the end of the 2017 season.
But beyond the Core Four, many former teammates of Gasol made the trip. Pondexter, Beno Udrih, Jon Leuer, Darrell Arthur, Rudy Gay, Mike Miller and Tayshaun Prince were among those present. Former Grizzlies coach Dave Joerger also made the trip.
Leuer spent three seasons with the Grizzlies from 2013-15. His locker was next to Gasol's each of those years. That extra time alongside Gasol pretty much summed up why the Minnesota native wasn't missing the ceremony.
"Beyond the illustrious career he's had and all the accomplishments he's had as a basketball player, he's an even better person," Leuer said. "That was why."
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The bevy of teammates was a testament to Gasol's connection. After all, Gasol is the one Grizzlies player who has been associated with the franchise since it moved to Memphis.
On the stage with him was his brother Pau Gasol, who played with the Grizzlies for seven seasons after they arrived in Memphis. Seated behind the stage on the Grizzlies bench was Jaren Jackson Jr., who is the lone current member of the Grizzlies who played with Marc Gasol in Memphis.
After Gasol's ceremony ended, fans started to file out of the arena. Gasol and many of his former teammates stuck around and shared stories for the next 30 minutes. Even current Sixers guard Kyle Lowry, who played part of the 2008-09 season with Gasol in Memphis before teaming up again with the Toronto Raptors in 2019, was there.
As evident by this being the Core Four's first time together since 2017, these moments don't come often. But to the players and former Grizzlies personnel members in the building Saturday, it's no surprise that Gasol was the one who brought them together.
"That's my teammate, man," Gay told The Commercial Appeal. "I love Marc. We were at the beginning of this. To see him get his number in the rafters, it's great. It's good to be a part of something that started."
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Inside Marc Gasol's Memphis Grizzlies jersey retirement ceremony
