Have a year, Marc Gasol. After joining the Raptors at the trade deadline and eventually going on to win a championship with his new team, Gasol decided against taking the summer off to play for Spain in the FIBA World Cup.
His efforts culminated in a gold medal on Sunday, after Spain defeated an Argentina squad led by former Raptor Luis Scola in the final. That makes him just the fifth player in history to win a NBA title and a FIBA or Olympics gold medal in the same year.
Gasol joins Scottie Pippen (twice), Michael Jordan, Lamar Odom, LeBron James and Kyrie Irving, as well as 14 WNBA players who have managed to do the same. Notably, Gasol is the first non-American to accomplish the feat.
Pretty cool! You wonder if a lengthy playoffs run on top of the international play may take a toll on the 34-year-old’s body, but it’s clear that competing for Spain matters a lot to Gasol — and considering how many American and Canadian players dropped out of the event, it’s hard to hate on Gasol for caring.
Gasol was named to the FIBA All-Tournament Team, along with former Raptor Luis Scola and his Spain teammate Ricky Rubio (also the tournament MVP).
We predict a whole lot more of this in his near future.
This article has been updated to reflect that Marc Gasol is the sixth player to win a NBA championship and a gold medal in the same year, not the fifth.
