Marcin Gortat: A Brief Biography
Marcin Gortat is a Polish professional basketball player who plays as a center for the Los Angeles Clippers of the NBA. He stands at 6ft 11 in and is the son of boxer Janusz Gortat. He was picked 57th overall by the Phoenix Suns in the 2005 NBA draft. He has the nickname 'The Polish Hammer'.
Gortat decided to keep playing with Cologne in Germany until 2007. On August 2, 2007, he signed with the Orlando Magic. He was assigned to their D-League team Anaheim Arsenal, Gortat was recalled back in December but he to wait as long as March 2008 to make his debut for the Magic.
His playing time was limited as he was backup to Dwight Howard, He was a part of the Magic team that made a run all the way to the NBA Finals, making Gortat the first ever Polish-born player to appear in the championship series.
On December 18, 2010, Gortat was traded to the Phoenix Suns, a move which led to an increase in his minutes, Initially, his role was to come off the bench but he eventually replaced Robin Lopez as starting center, Gortat was one of the only 5 Centers to average a double-double in the 2011-12 season. He averaged 15.4 points and 10.0 rebounds per game.
On October 25, 2013, Gortat was traded to the Washington Wizards, where he played for 5 years before being traded to the Clippers in 2018.