MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Saturday night, the Memphis Grizzlies will retire the number 33 jersey of Marc Gasol. It will put the final touch on Gasol’s long relationship with Memphis that started at Lausanne Collegiate School.
Gasol’s journey in the NBA started in his home country of Spain, but he had a pivotal pit stop at Lausanne. His old teammates don’t necessarily remember him as the big basketball star, just as their teammate and their friend.
"He wore black trench coat, a black leather trench coat, and drank a gallon of orange juice every day," said former teammate James Harvey, whose mother carpooled Gasol to school during his senior year.
That’s just one funny story James Harvey remembers from his high school days palling around with Gasol.
“Big Spain” spent three years walking the halls at Lausanne. At 6’10” and with no English at first, it was basketball that helped him make friend like Carlos Taylor.
"I think having basketball as our common language made the language barrier a lot easier to get over," Taylor said.
Gasol was naturally gifted at basketball. Making passes and shots that people his size weren’t supposed to make.
He often wowed onlookers with dribble moves and baskets that lent itself to guards, more than centers.
“He was probably the smartest basketball player that I ever had a chance to play with," Harvey said.
He took the Lynx went to new heights winning the school’s first region championship in 2003 and going to their first state championship game the same year. Gasol was named Tennessee's Mr. Basketball.
"We put up a good fight it. It was good for history of Division Two basketball and I think it was just the beginning of just Mark," Taylor said.
It's an era Gasol remembers fondly.
"They showed me the insides and out of Memphis and how to move around the city. They gave me a lot of confidence on them and trust so I will forever be thankful," Gasol told media, Friday.
Gasol left the state for his college years came back to become NBA pro in his second home of Memphis.
The rest is history, headlining the Grit and Grind era and becoming a hometown legend. It's an era Grizz fans and his Lynx teammates won’t soon forget.
"I just felt like being at home in a comfortable spot was going to allow him to develop at his pace. But at the same time, I knew that he was more than ready," Taylor said.
Gasol will have his jersey retired after Saturdays’ game against the Philadelphia 76ers. Both James and Carlos say they plan to be in the building.