Marcin Gortat is undoubtedly one of the most recognisable Polish athletes. Not everyone knows that he was born and raised in Łódź. For many years he played in the NBA, most recently for the Washington Wizards. Below is a brief biography of the first Polish basketball player to achieve major international success.

Childhood and Youth

That young Gortat would pursue sports in the future was practically predetermined – his father is a two-time Olympic bronze medallist and European champion in boxing, Janusz Gortat. His mother, Alicja, in turn, is a two-time Polish champion and multiple national team representative in volleyball. Marcin Gortat began his sports career with athletics; he even received a call-up to the junior national team. He also tried his hand at football as a player for Łódzki Klub Sportowy. In secondary school – at the suggestion of one of his teachers – he started his adventure with basketball. Interestingly, he made this decision only because he had learning difficulties, and through this move he was provided with academic support at school.

Love at First Sight

After just the first training sessions, Gortat knew he wanted to pursue this sport. However, a difficult journey awaited him, because despite good physical preparation, the game initially didn't go well for him. Through hard work, however, he quickly made up for lost ground and after just half a year of training he received a call-up to the U-20 team. A year and a half later, thanks to a strong performance at a junior tournament in France, he received an offer from a club in Cologne, Germany. He decided to sign the contract and, at the same time, leave Poland. Already then he set himself an ambitious goal: getting into the NBA.

Further Career

After finishing the German league, Gortat travelled to a basketball camp in Treviso. Shortly after, he made his debut for the Polish senior national team. In 2005, he entered the draft, which took him to the Orlando club. After summer league play in the United States, he returned to his Cologne club, which he helped win gold. However, his career truly gained momentum from 2007, when, as the third Pole in history, he signed a contract in the NBA. Interestingly, he signed the contract… in Łódź. He scored his first points in the American league in 2008. Later, progressively, though not without certain setbacks along the way, he strengthened his position in the NBA. From the 2013/14 season to 2018 he played for the Washington Wizards, and spent his final season with the Los Angeles Clippers. He officially retired from professional basketball in 2019. Gortat is the first Pole to play in the NBA playoffs, achieve a double-double in the NBA, start an NBA game in his team's starting five, and win NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week (2015).

Marcin Gortat has been an honorary citizen of Łódź since 2017. Since retiring, he has been involved in, among other things, popularising basketball in Poland through the Marcin Gortat Basketball Academy.