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Marcin Gortat

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"Gortat" redirects here. For his father, see Janusz Gortat.

Marcin Gortat
Gortat at the Washington Wizards Open Practice in 2022
Washington Wizards
PositionPlayer development and assistant coach
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (1984-02-17) February 17, 1984 (age 40)
Łódź, Poland
NationalityPolish, American (since 2021[1])
Listed height6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
Listed weight240 lb (109 kg)
Career information
NBA draft2005: 2nd round, 57th overall pick
Selected by the Phoenix Suns
Playing career2002–2020
PositionCenter
Number13, 4
Career history
As player:
2002–2003ŁKS Łódź
2003–2007RheinEnergie Cologne
2007–2010Orlando Magic
2007–2008→Anaheim Arsenal
2010–2013Phoenix Suns
2013–2018Washington Wizards
2018–2019Los Angeles Clippers
As coach:
2022–presentWashington Wizards (player development and assistant coach)
Career highlights and awards
Career statistics
Points7,951 (9.9 ppg)
Rebounds6,407 (7.9 rpg)
Assists915 (1.1 apg)
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference

Marcin Janusz Gortat (Polish pronunciation: [ˈmart͡ɕiŋ ˈɡɔrtat]; born February 17, 1984) also known as "The Polish Hammer" is a Polish former professional basketball player, and current player development and assistant coach at the Washington Wizards[2] of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m), 240 pounds (110 kg) center is the son of boxer Janusz Gortat. He was drafted in the second round by the Phoenix Suns in the 2005 NBA draft and played for the Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, Washington Wizards, and Los Angeles Clippers. He retired from professional basketball in 2020.

Early life and career

As a child, Gortat participated in football and track and field, where he competed in the high jump.[3] His father, Janusz, was a Polish boxer and a bronze medalist in the light heavyweight class during the Munich 1972 and Montreal 1976 Olympics, and his mother, Alicja, was a representative of the Poland national team in volleyball. He has an older brother, Robert, who is also a boxer.[4]

Gortat grew up in Łódź, Poland, together with his brother Filip. He graduated from Technical School in Łódź. Apart from Polish, he is fluent in English, German, and Serbian.[5] Gortat is also a big Motorcycle Speedway supporter, often seen supporting Polish club Motor Lublin. He is also seen regularly at Speedway Grand Prix events, supporting his good friend, four-time World Champion Bartosz Zmarzlik.[6]

Gortat started his career with ŁKS Łódź, then played three seasons for RheinEnergie Cologne in Germany's Basketball Bundesliga, with whom he won the domestic championship in 2006 as well as the national cup three times.[7] He also played in the 2006–07 Euroleague season for the first time in the team's history. After being drafted 57th overall in the 2005 NBA draft by the Phoenix Suns (with his rights later traded to the Orlando Magic),[8] Gortat elected to keep playing with Cologne in Germany until 2007.

Personal life

Gortat identifies as a Catholic and has said that his faith gives him hope and inspires him.[9]

NBA career

Orlando Magic (2007–2010)

On August 2, 2007, Gortat signed with the Orlando Magic. On November 20, he was assigned to the Anaheim Arsenal of the NBA Development League. [10] [11] He was recalled from the D-League on December 2,[12] and debuted for the Magic on March 1, 2008, against the New York Knicks.

On April 16, 2008, in the Magic's last game of the 2007–08 season, little-used Gortat played 28 minutes[13] and registered 12 points and 11 rebounds in a 103–83 Magic win over the Washington Wizards.[14] On December 15, 2008, starting in place of the injured Dwight Howard, Gortat played 28 minutes[15] and recorded 16 points and 13 rebounds in a 108–98 win over the Golden State Warriors.[16] On April 13, 2009, again starting in place of Howard, Gortat played almost 43 minutes and topped his career high in rebounding with 18 rebounds and had 10 points. On April 30, 2009, Gortat made his first playoff start in Game 6 against the Philadelphia 76ers, replacing Howard, who was suspended because of his actions in game 5. He had 11 points and 15 rebounds as the Magic eliminated the 76ers 4–2. That Magic playoff run continued all the way to the NBA Finals, making Gortat the first Polish-born player to ever appear in the championship series.

On July 8, 2009, Gortat, a restricted free agent, signed an offer sheet for five years and $34 million with the Dallas Mavericks. However, Orlando prevented Gortat from going to Dallas by matching the offer sheet on July 13, 2009. Gortat was said to be "very disappointed" to stay with the Magic, since continuing as backup to Dwight Howard would mean limited playing time, whereas playing for Dallas would likely have meant being the starting center.[17]

Phoenix Suns (2010–2013)

Gortat battling for a rebound during his tenure with the Suns

On December 18, 2010, Gortat was traded to the Phoenix Suns along with Vince Carter, Mickaël Piétrus, a 2011 first-round draft pick (which would become Nikola Mirotić), and $3 million, in exchange for Jason Richardson, Earl Clark, and then-former Magic player and former teammate Hedo Türkoğlu.[18] Due to Steve Nash wearing the #13 jersey, which was the number that Gortat had worn in Orlando and Poland, he decided to wear #4 for his tenure with the Suns. During his first season with the Suns, his numbers increased as his minutes grew, initially coming off the bench, then starting at center in place of Robin Lopez. During his time in Phoenix, Gortat continued to be known as "The Polish Hammer" a nickname originally given to him during his time with the Orlando Magic.

During the lockout-shortened 2011–12 season, Gortat averaged 15.4 points and 10.0 rebounds per game. He was the only Suns player to start and play every game of the regular season. Gortat also joined the likes of former Magic teammate Dwight Howard, Andrew Bynum, and DeMarcus Cousins as the only centers to average a double-double that season. After the season ended, he was named to the Polish national basketball team for the FIBA EuroBasket 2013 qualification round. In the second game against Finland, he scored 27 points and grabbed 21 rebounds to help Poland qualify for 2013's FIBA Eurobasket tournament.

On November 7, 2012, he scored 23 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, and had a career-best 7 blocks in a 117–110 victory against the Charlotte Bobcats. In late February, Gortat suffered a knee injury, and was left off the team for the rest of the season.

Washington Wizards (2013–2018)

Gortat in 2013

On October 25, 2013, Gortat was traded, along with Shannon Brown, Malcolm Lee, and Kendall Marshall, to the Washington Wizards in exchange for Emeka Okafor and a 2014 protected first-round draft pick.[19]

On February 27, 2014, Gortat recorded a career-high 31 points and 12 rebounds in a 134–129 triple overtime win over the Toronto Raptors.[20] On May 13, he recorded 31 points (his playoff career high) and 16 rebounds to help the Wizards avoid elimination in Game 5 of their second-round series with the Indiana Pacers.[21] He became the first Wizards player with at least 30 points and 15 rebounds in a playoff game since Moses Malone in 1987.[citation needed]

On July 10, 2014, Gortat re-signed with the Wizards to a reported five-year, $60 million contract.[22][23]

On December 28, 2015, Gortat was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played December 21–27, earning the honor for the first time in his career.[24] On February 29, 2016, he scored 13 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter and grabbed a career-high 20 rebounds in the Wizards' 116–108 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.[25]

Los Angeles Clippers (2018–2019)

On June 26, 2018, Gortat was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for Austin Rivers.[26] On January 5, 2019, Gortat recorded a double-double with 18 points and 13 rebounds during a 121–111 win over the Suns.[27] On February 7, he was waived by the Clippers.[28]

On February 16, 2020, Gortat officially announced his retirement from basketball.[29]

Back to Washington Wizards as assistant coach

In October 2022, he joined the Wizards as temporary assistant coach.[30]

Thanks to the Wizards, Gortat can bring Polish Heritage Night (Polish: Polska Noc w NBA) back to the NBA for the first time since retiring. The 9th edition of this event will celebrate Polish heritage when Washington hosts the San Antonio Spurs with another Pole, Jeremy Sochan on the roster on March 24, 2023.[31][32]

Career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  PIR  Performance Index Rating
 Bold  Career high  *  Led the league

NBA

Regular season

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2007–08 Orlando 6 0 6.8 .471 — .667 2.7 .3 .2 .2 3.0
2008–09 Orlando 63 3 12.6 .569 1.000 .578 4.6 .2 .3 .8 3.8
2009–10 Orlando 81 0 13.4 .533 .000 .680 4.2 .2 .2 .9 3.6
2010–11 Orlando 25 2 15.8 .543 — .667 4.7 .7 .3 .8 4.0
2010–11 Phoenix 55 12 29.7 .563 .250 .731 9.3 1.0 .5 1.3 13.0
2011–12 Phoenix 66* 66* 32.0 .555 .000 .649 10.0 .9 .7 1.5 15.4
2012–13 Phoenix 61 61 30.8 .521 .000 .652 8.5 1.2 .7 1.6 11.1
2013–14 Washington 81 80 32.8 .542 1.000 .686 9.5 1.7 .5 1.5 13.2
2014–15 Washington 82 82* 29.9 .566 .000 .703 8.7 1.2 .6 1.3 12.2
2015–16 Washington 75 74 30.1 .567 .000 .705 9.9 1.4 .6 1.3 13.5
2016–17 Washington 82* 82* 31.2 .579 .000 .648 10.3 1.5 .5 .7 10.8
2017–18 Washington 82* 82* 25.3 .518 — .675 7.6 1.8 .5 .7 8.4
2018–19 L.A. Clippers 47 43 16.0 .532 — .729 5.6 1.4 .1 .5 5.0
Career 806 587 25.7 .551 .150 .680 8.0 1.1 .5 1.1 9.9

Playoffs

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2008 Orlando 8 0 6.0 .833 — .000 1.0 .0 .0 .5 1.3
2009 Orlando 24 1 11.3 .654 — .625 3.2 .1 .4 .6 3.3
2010 Orlando 14 0 15.1 .654 — .727 4.4 .6 .2 .3 3.0
2014 Washington 11 11 34.7 .429 — .659 9.9 1.5 .5 1.4 13.0
2015 Washington 10 10 30.7 .628 — .667 8.8 2.2 .6 1.1 12.4
2017 Washington 13 13 31.5 .505 — .611 11.0 1.8 .4 1.5 8.1
2018 Washington 6 6 26.7 .558 — .571 6.3 1.0 .0 .3 8.7
Career 86 41 20.8 .564 — .650 6.1 .9 .3 .8 6.4

Euroleague

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG PIR
2006–07 RheinEnergie Cologne 14 14 27.7 .594 .500 .667 5.6 1.2 1.1 1.1 10.4 12.6
Career 14 14 27.7 .594 .500 .667 5.6 1.2 1.1 1.1 10.4 12.6

See also

References

  1. ^ "The Polish AMERICAN Hammer was on Buck and Phil's podcast!". April 19, 2021.
  2. ^ "Gortat joins Wizards as temporary assistant coach".
  3. ^ "Marcin Gortat – najdłuższa polska kariera w NBA". basketmania.com.pl (in Polish). January 5, 2024. Retrieved June 30, 2024.
  4. ^ "Marcin Gortat – kto to, kim jest? [kariera, kluby, reprezentacja, życie prywatne]". sport.tvp.pl (in Polish). April 10, 2020. Retrieved June 30, 2024.
  5. ^ Piotr Kożmiński (October 10, 2014). "Poligloci polskiego sportu. Oni dogadają się z każdym!". sport.se.pl (in Polish). Retrieved June 30, 2024.
  6. ^ "NBA. Marcin Gortat: ciężko jest nam rozmawiać z Jeremym. Jest on pierwszoroczniakiem i dołącza do drużyny narodowej". sport.tvp.pl (in Polish). May 15, 2023. Retrieved June 30, 2024.
  7. ^ "Meet our speaker - Marcin Gortat". impactcee.com. Retrieved June 30, 2024.
  8. ^ Albert Lee. "Marcin Gortat writes about his NBA journey and the challenges of Polish basketball". bulletsforever.com (in Polish). Retrieved June 30, 2024.
  9. ^ "Świadectwo Marcina Gortata". sport.episkopat.pl (in Polish). Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  10. ^ "Magic Assign Marcin Gortat to NBA D-League". NBA. Archived from the original on December 2, 2009.
  11. ^ "Magic Assign Marcin Gortat To Anaheim Arsenal". NBA. Archived from the original on March 18, 2009.
  12. ^ "NBA Development League: 2007-08 Transactions". NBA. Archived from the original on March 29, 2016.
  13. ^ Magic 103, Wizards 83 - box score
  14. ^ "Magic rest starters, ride Redick, Gortat to blowout of Wizards". ESPN. April 16, 2008. Archived from the original on March 19, 2017.
  15. ^ Magic 109, Warriors 98 - box score
  16. ^ "Nelson gets hot in second half to carry Magic past Warriors". ESPN. December 15, 2008. Archived from the original on August 20, 2016.
  17. ^ "Magic to retain center Gortat". ESPN. July 13, 2009.
  18. ^ "Suns, Magic Complete Six-Player Trade". NBA. December 18, 2010.
  19. ^ "Wizards Acquire Gortat From Suns". NBA. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. October 25, 2013.
  20. ^ "Notebook: Wizards 134, Raptors 129 (3OT)". NBA. Archived from the original on February 28, 2014.
  21. ^ "Notebook: Wizards 134, Raptors 129 (3OT)". NBA. Archived from the original on May 14, 2014.
  22. ^ "Gortat re-signs with Wizards for five years, $60 million". NBA. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. July 10, 2014.
  23. ^ "Wizards Re-Sign Marcin Gortat". NBA. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. July 10, 2014.
  24. ^ Gortat, Westbrook named Players of the Week
  25. ^ "Wall scores 37 as Wizards rally to beat 76ers 116-108". NBA. February 29, 2016. Archived from the original on March 1, 2016.
  26. ^ "L.A. Clippers Acquire Marcin Gortat". NBA.com. June 26, 2018. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  27. ^ Clippers beat up on Suns again, win 121-111
  28. ^ "L.A. Clippers Waive Marcin Gortat". NBA. February 7, 2019.
  29. ^ Homler, Ryan (February 16, 2020). "Former Wizard Marcin Gortat announces retirement". NBC Sports Washington. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  30. ^ Hughes, Chase (October 6, 2022). "Gortat joins Wizards as temporary assistant coach". NBC Sports. Archived from the original on March 21, 2023.
  31. ^ "NBA: Gortat jest po operacji kolana. Czy wróci do Wizards?". Probasket (in Polish). March 17, 2023.
  32. ^ "Polska Noc w NBA". bialyorzel24.com (in Polish). March 12, 2023.
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