Advertisement - scroll for more content
Chase Hughes: Jonas Valanciunas shows love to @MGortat , saying he’s studied his screen-setting and wants to carry on that legacy in D.C.
What creates this tight-knit community among European players, even beyond their active playing days? Marcin Gortat: We have similar cultures. That shows who we are; we have the same values, culture, and jokes, and we can spot the same issue or situation in a room. For example, you have one of the guys walking into the locker room with a golden grill and shiny diamonds, and he steps in, smiling all over the place. Everybody else thinks it is normal. Then all of a sudden me, Jan Vesely, or Tomáš Satoranský, “We’re sitting here looking at this like, what is this? This guy looks like a clown. He's wearing gold diamond teeth. It's ridiculous.” Next, you see an African-American coach walking in with his super baggy clothes. I'm talking about a potato bag hanging on him as a suit, and we're looking at him, like, "What the hell is this?" We all crack jokes, like “You could make three suits out of this material; why would you make this suit? You look like an idiot in this suit.” So, we see those differences. We, as European guys, can spot a lot of things the same way. And we can catch a lot of things the same way we speak about when Americans talk about Sunday football, weekend Premier League games, or Barcelona-Real Madrid games, so we just have a different culture and different values and different things that are interesting for us.
Marcin Gortat on Dwight Howard: I still have all the scratches from Dwight. I mean, he never cut his nails
How was it to battle Dwight in practice? Marcin Gortat: Oh my God, it was a nightmare. Covering Dwight in the game was a different story than covering him in practice. There were practices where I almost punched him in the face. I was like, 'Alright, that's enough; I'm about to freaking hit you in a second.' I was on the verge of losing my cool because I was mad and pissed. I mean, I was bleeding in every practice, man. Every practice, my lip, my teeth, my hands were scratched. I still have all the scratches, everything from Dwight, my chest – everything. I mean, he never cut his nails; Jesus Christ. Like I said, I was bleeding every single time. And when Dwight fouled because we didn't have whistles in practice, every time I'd be like, 'C’mon, guys, this is a foul,' and instead, he'd say, 'Marcin you're the worst referee in the NBA.' Like, thanks. So I'm just gonna punch him in the face. I mean, there's no basketball. I'm gonna literally gangster his ass right now on the court. I'm gonna jump him; I'm gonna beat him up because that's how it was.
Marcin Gortat: 'Chris Paul will grab your leg or punch you in the nuts'
What do you think is unfair that NBA players get away with, or referees allow to slide by? Marcin Gortat: Oh man, I don't know if it's appropriate for me to say this, but they do a lot of things. I mean, you know, when people box out, they will try to grab your balls and squeeze. I swear to God, they do some crazy stuff. How do you not just fight someone over that immediately? Marcin Gortat: Imagine your first reaction is like, 'Dude, what the hell?' They smile, and then you're attacking the guy. However, the referee most of the time doesn't see the first move. They just see your reaction. So, and then you are screwed, because he sees your reaction. A lot of things happen on the basketball court. Chris Paul will grab your leg or punch you in the nuts too. It happens all the time. So when you set screens, you gotta cover up your nuts and lift weights to make sure your core is strong.
Marcin Gortat: Golden State lied to me
Is there anything you regret about your career? Marcin Gortat: I wish that after I was waived by the Clippers, I had gone to the Toronto Raptors. They called me six times, and I didn't go. I could have been an NBA champion today. Instead, I decided to go to Golden State, and they lied to me. They said, 'No, no, no, we don't need a big. We're gonna take this small guy. You gotta take an additional guard.' And two or three weeks later, they signed Andrew Bogut from the Australian league. That hurt.
Advertisement
Considering John Wall's current situation, are you surprised where his career is currently? Marcin Gortat: It is sad because we anticipated things like that. And I spoke with John. We are on good terms right now. I haven't talked to him recently for the last couple of months, but I've been going back and forth with him for the last couple of years. And you know, at the end of the day, you understand he's my brother from the Washington team. John is my brother, and we have played together for many years. We had many battles together, and we won many battles. Hearing what happened to him in the last couple of years was tough. You don't think about basketball when stuff like that occurs in your personal life.
Marcin Gortat: Randy Wittman was the only coach that was able to control John Wall
You were with the Wizards' most recent successful era. In your opinion, what went wrong during that time? Marcin Gortat: Well, as crazy as it sounds, I will say that we probably should have kept Randy Wittman as a coach. Yeah, I know what I'm saying is crazy, but we should have done that. Why? Because he was the only coach that was able to control John [Wall]. And they were bumping heads, and I was bumping heads with Randy. Randy was a hell of a good coach. And he knew what he was doing. He was able to control John, and he was able to control Bradley [Beal]. And he was bringing the right people on board from a player standpoint.
Marcin Gortat: I wish many people could reach out to John and support him. I hope they did. John is in a position right now; I mean, he's not 20 years old. He is 30-plus years old, he's had a lot of surgeries, he had a lot of issues with his body, and his knees are probably 60 years old. So, it will take much work for John to return to the league. He can give a team a lot of good things. He's an incredible leader; he can anticipate many things on the court and run the offense the right way. He can shoot the ball. He can pass the ball. He could help the team. But just the agenda that goes with John is so difficult. It's so demanding that it will be tough for John to return to the league. He had an incredible and promising career. It's a very good career. He made a lot of money. He has a family. The only thing he has to do is not just focus on his body but focus on his family. And live his life. I think. That's the best thing you can do right now.
Marcin Gortat on Doc Rivers: 'I wouldn't trust his coaching decisions. I just don't have confidence in them'
How was the experience of playing under Doc Rivers. What are your thoughts on Doc Rivers' coaching style? Marcin Gortat: I didn't have the best time with Doc Rivers, unfortunately. He's a good dude and great to talk to with incredible stories and a rich history in the NBA. However, I wouldn't trust his coaching decisions. I just don't have confidence in them.
Chase Hughes: The Wizards announce Jordan Poole will wear No. 13 in D.C. Vernon Carey Jr. was the most recent player to wear it. Some other notables: Thomas Bryant, Marcin Gortat, Kevin Seraphin and Stan Love
Advertisement
Gortat, who is not Jewish, was born and raised in Poland ... a country that experienced the terrors of World War II, Nazi Germany and the horrors of the Holocaust. He told us out in LA this week that he found Kyrie's promotion of the antisemitic film "Hebrew to Negroes: Wake Up Black America!" to be "completely wrong" ... and he then extended the 30-year-old an invite to Poland to help him learn why he feels so strongly about it all.
"If he wants to learn something about the stuff he was talking about," Gortat said of Irving, "I can invite him to Poland and he will learn more about the whole situation."
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement