Grizzlies' Marc Gasol fell asleep during his NBA draft
Everyone likes Marc Gasol. Seriously, everyone. And it's partly because he -- and actually, both Gasol brothers are like this -- is so relaxed about everything.
Few NBA players have more chill than Marc Gasol, and it's possible nothing exemplifies that more than what the Grizzlies starting center did on his draft night as he waited to hear his name get called. Most kids anxiously await to find out if or where they're going to go. Gasol, dipped into a state of unconsciousness.
Here's what he told ESPN's Zach Lowe, regarding his refusal to participate in one-on-one predraft workouts and his actual draft-watching situation, during a recent Q&A:
In Gasol's defense, if he was watching in Spain, it must've been really late by the time the draft ended. With a six-hour time difference between Barcelona and the East Coast, that could've meant the second-round pick was drafted anywhere between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. his time. We'll let you off the hook for this one, Marc.
Q: One of my favorite stories about you is that you refused to come to the U.S. for pre-draft workouts.
A: Oh, no. No, no, no.
Q: It was, "Come to Spain, and watch me."
A: It wasn't just like that.
Q: Yeah, you've said it was about the fact that to appreciate your game, you have to watch you play 5-on-5 -- real basketball. That maybe you wouldn't have done so well in one-on-one workouts.
A: Exactly. I almost wasn't drafted by doing that, but I think if I had come to work out, I wouldn't have been drafted. I fell asleep during the draft, actually. I woke up, and I was picked No. 48. I didn't even know what number I was picked.
