ORLANDO – Orlando Magic Head Coach Jamahl Mosley consistently preaches the value of accomplishing goals by committee to his team.
He has an inherent faith in players up and down the roster to step up when their name is called upon and deliver for their squad.
Over the course of Magic history, it would be hard to find a player that better exemplifies that trait more than former center Marcin Gortat.
Orlando acquired the rights to the 6-foot-11 big man on the night of the 2005 NBA Draft after he was selected by the Phoenix Suns with the 57th overall pick. With the G League – then known as the D-League – just in its infancy and one-on-one parent club relationships not yet existent, it was less common for unrefined prospects to be sent down for development with those squads.
Thus, Gortat spent his first early years with the Magic franchise refining his skills in Germany and the Euroleague.
“The best thing about my situation playing in Germany was that I was actually playing,” he explained. “That was the best thing. I had a lot of friends and a lot of colleagues coming from the (Polish) National Team that were all going to Spain, Italy, and stronger leagues. But I went into the German league and that’s what made my progress bigger because I was playing 30 to 35 minutes per game. That was great. That helped me extremely.”
After playing in the German league and appearing in three different summer league stints with Orlando, Gortat finally signed with the Magic in 2007, and in early 2008 made his first appearance for the franchise against the New York Knicks.
“The craziest thing was my mom just landed from Poland and she was at the game for the first time in her life and for the first time getting the chance to see me play in the NBA,” he recalled. “The team built a big lead, and everyone was cracking jokes saying we need to build a 30-point lead so that (then Magic Head Coach Stan Van Gundy) would let me play … The team built that lead and Stan said at the end of the game, ‘let’s go.’ I get into the game. Everybody was pumped up. They ran a play for me on the post and I made a move to the baseline, and I scored my first two points. My mom went crazy. She lost it and started crying. She was so happy that I scored my first points.”
For the next couple of years, Gortat would serve as a backup center to Dwight Howard and gain most of his development by battling against the perennial All-Star in team practices.
“There are four reasons that I became who I am today: Stan Van Gundy, (former Magic assistant coach) Brendan Malone, (former Magic strength and conditioning coach) Joe Rogowski, and Dwight Howard,” Gortat explained. “Each one of them gave me something. Going against Dwight every day in practice without referee whistles was pretty much suicide. We’re talking about Dwight Howard in his prime in practice without whistles. It was just literally hand-to-hand combat. It was like going into a cage with a beast. You needed to have some (confidence) to do that. I was bleeding every practice. I had busted lips, busted teeth, I was cut, scratched, poked in the eye, (and) had tons of bruises. I was beat up every single practice.”
But that intense and relentless training prepared Gortat to handle any moment that would come his way in the NBA.
“He made me better,” Gortat explained. “After Dwight Howard, you go into the game, and I promise you, you don’t have to worry about anybody. There was nobody (at that time) going to be (a tougher matchup) than Dwight Howard.”
And finally in the 2009 NBA Playoffs, a huge moment would come Gortat’s way.
In the middle of a back-and-forth series with the 76ers in the opening round of the postseason, Howard was suspended for a single game for elbowing Philadelphia center Samuel Dalembert. With Orlando’s cornerstone piece out of the lineup and sitting at home, the Magic turned to Gortat in hopes that he could fill in, help his team earn a victory, and advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals.
“I was ready. Having Stan Van Gundy as your coach, he tells you exactly what to do and he gets you ready for the game,” Gortat explained. “Then, you have Brendan Malone, who’s whispering in your ear (and giving you advice). Then, you have Joe Rogowski, who goes through eight months of hard work in the weight room with you. You’re coming out ready. The only thing I had to do was bring the energy and bring the effort.”
Gortat did exactly that. The Polish Hammer lived up to his nickname by capping off a sensational 11-point, 15-rebound, four-steal showing against the 76ers with an emphatic left-handed slam over Dalembert. The Magic would go on to advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals with a 114-89 victory.
“We killed them. We smashed them,” Gortat said. “You go through crazy emotions. It’s hard to describe. I can’t even compare it to anything. You feel like you’ve been waiting for this opportunity and then you get the opportunity, and you use it. I worked hard and was constantly preached and told to stay ready. Wait, wait, wait, and be ready. Things will happen. Everybody in this league gets the opportunity to play. And that’s what happened. The opportunity came, I was ready, and I used that chance. … It was a time when I made a name for myself. People started to realize that one day I could be a starter in this league.”
Gortat would go on to play for 12 more seasons in the NBA, eventually also playing for the Phoenix Suns, and then the Washington Wizards, where he would see starter’s minutes. But it was those moments with the Magic that he attributes most for his growth and as some of the most successful times of his career.
“That team was definitely great,” he said. “I made a lot of friends. We built relationships for years. I’m still in touch with 99 percent of the players from that team.”
THOUGHTS ON THE CURRENT MAGIC:
Gortat sees a lot of similarities with this current Magic team and the one he joined back in 2007. He sees a great tandem in Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner and believes that through consistent internal growth coupled with a move similar to Orlando’s signing of Rashard Lewis that the Magic could soon find themselves once again making runs to The Finals.
“We can build something special,” Gortat explained. “Continue to look for the right trade or another pick in the draft if we can. Try to find another diamond in the rough – another Gortat with the 57th pick – that would be great. It’s obviously not easy. I think we’re going in a good direction as an organization. We have some nice pieces. The team is young. We just have to continue to build.”
WHERE ARE THEY NOW:
Gortat currently splits his time living in Orlando and Poland. He’s currently doing a lot of work with his MG13 foundation and recently even brought a group of kids from his camp out to a Magic game.
“I’m working with a lot of businesses and doing a lot of foundation and charity stuff,” he explained. “We’ve built good chemistry and friendships with the Orlando Magic. The organization helps me with a lot of stuff with my camps for kids. They invite the kids to games and to the facility. I’m super grateful for everything they do. If the Magic need me at any event or community event, I’m definitely available for them. We’ve built a great relationship.”
“Besides that, I’m also doing a lot of military training (in Poland). I love everything about the military. I like to learn a lot of new stuff. Obviously, we know what situation we have in Ukraine, so – not that I’m preparing for a war – it’s not going to hurt me to know what to do just in case or how to act. I want to learn stuff just to be prepared for the future.”