[ad_1]
By writing | Sport
Before landing in Memphis to start his NBA career, Marc Gasol had already lived two years in the city with his brother Pau. He returned to his high school years in the United States and his adaptation to this new culture.
Unlike his big brother Pau, who arrived in the NBA at a time when Europeans were not yet so dominant, Marc Gasol has always experienced an internationalized league. It must be said that between 2002 and 2008, a lot of things happened at the highest level. Dirk Nowitzki has for example become MVP of the regular season, and Tony Parker of the finals.
And then, at that time, between mobile phones and the start of social networks, the pivot of the grizzlymen had many ways to stay in touch with his own, whether in the United States or in Spain. This does not mean that the adaptation was not difficult, especially since there is a chasm between the living environment in Girona and Memphis.
Marc Gasol talks about his first steps in the United States
What fans do not necessarily know is that the former Dpoy had already had an American experience before landing in the NBA. In 2001, he followed his brother in Memphis and even engaged in a high school in the city. He returned to this first visit to the podcast of his former Zach Randolph and Tony Allen teammates:
When I arrived in Memphis, it was another world. I did not speak English, I did not understand anything, I did not know culture. It was a real shock to go from Spain to Memphis. Basketball helped me make friends, express myself. My teammates made me discover the city, the lifestyle. They still remain very good friends to date. I started listening to Memphis music.
After my second year in high school, I could have entered all the universities of NCAA, but it was not for me. I wanted to return to Spain and find my own path. I did not want to follow the typical American trajectory, I wanted to start from 0. I could have assumed the consequences if it had not worked for me.
When his big brother flew to Memphis and the NBA, Marc Gasol decided to follow him even when he did not speak the language and did not know culture. After two seasons in high school, he realized that it was not for him, and that his way to success passed through Europe. A beneficial and judicious decision.
Marc Gasol had a good life in Memphis in his adolescence … He shone on the grounds and had the chance to live with one of the best young people in NBA. But the young pivot did not recognize himself in this lifestyle, he still preferred Europe.
[ad_2]
