Twitter Marc Gasol sitting with his wife Cristina Blesa.
The Toronto Raptors are in their first NBA Finals, as they face the 2-time defending champion Golden State Warriors Thursday night at Scotiabank Arena. They wouldn’t have gotten there without the one-two frontcourt punch of Pascal Siakam and 7-foot-1, 255-pound Marc Gasol.
The latter’s size, in particular, helped slow down Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid in the conference semifinals and Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo in the conference finals. For the year, he is averaging 13.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game.
Just in case he isn’t able to grab his first championship ring this series, he already has one on his left ring finger. The 34-year old Spaniard is married to Cristina Blesa.
There’s not much out there on here, but here’s what you need to know.
1. The Two Got Married in 2013 in August 2013 in Spain
According to El Mundo, Gasol and Blesa were married on August 7, 2013 in Girona, a city in Spain’s northeastern Catalonia region, beside the River Onya.
According to a Google translation of the article, the venue was chosen for its beauty and privacy.
(The ceremony) took place in the beautiful farmhouse Can Riera de la Pineda, Arbúcies, in Girona. It is an old Roman villa restored in 2004 and now has become a perfect setting to celebrate a wedding and more when what is sought is privacy.
2. The Wedding Has Extensive Security Measures Put in Place to Prevent Media From Entering
Marc Gasol eta Cristina Blesa ezkondu dira! Intimitatean eta segurtasun neurri handiekin ospatu zuten ezkontza. http://t.co/Wu5LrWAiHI
According to Hoops Hype, “Marc Gasol married girlfriend Cristina Blesa in a ceremony that was held under tight security to prevent the media from taking pictures.” Per El Mundo, the measures also made a negative impression on the locals.
Marc hired about 18 security members placed by the mountain and it was necessary the intervention of the police to expel these men from the area, since the place was public and not private as they claimed.
The photographers were not the only ones who felt unhappy with the wedding, because the people of the town also said that they are outraged and that the farm is located in an illegal place and that the wedding was not going to leave the town any benefit.
Gasol has always been very discreet in everything that has to do with his private life.
3. Marc Announced the News in an Interview Alongside His Brother Pau
Pau Gasol and Marc Gasol are both playing very well this year. http://t.co/4S2dhZuegK
According to Vanitatis, the initial confirmation of the wedding came from Marc when he sat down for an interview alongside his brother Pau, a center for the Milwaukee Bucks.
Without anyone expecting it, in a press conference, the Gasol brothers gave two news. What was going to be a quiet talk with journalists ended up being Marc Gasol’s confirmation of marriage and Pau’s denial about his wedding with Silvia López. The older brother even had to raise his hand and show his hand without an alliance to show that he had not married in secret this summer.
The ceremony was attended by several fellow Spanish NBA players, including Ricky Rubio, Jorge Garbajosa, Juan Carlos Navarro and Fernando Sanemeterio.
4. She Lived in Memphis for 6 Years Before They Got Hitched
Marc Gasol has to be one of the best teammates ever.
Divinity covered a story about the couple taking a boat trip off Menorca, one of Spain’s Balearic islands in the Mediterranean Sea. In this piece, it was confirmed that Blesa and Gasol had been living for six years in Memphis before getting hitched.
Marc Gasol will marry in a few days in Girona with Cristina Blesa, a discreet young woman who has lived in Memphis for six years. The 41 centimeters that ‘separate’ the couple are not an impediment for them to enjoy their passion at sea, as they have done the last few days on the deck of a ship in Menorca. We tell you about the relationship between the giant of Memphis and the discreet Cristina Blesa.
A few days after getting married, the two left for Slovenia for the European Championship between September 4 and 22.
5. They Have a Daughter that Has Blesa’s Last Name
The two have one daughter named Julia Gasol Blesa. According to Hispanic naming conventions, a child receives the father’s surname first and then the mother’s second. Marc and Julia took a picture of them playing hide and go seek and posted it to Instagram with the caption: “Will mommy find us?!”
When both Pau and Marc made the All-Star Game in 2015, Julia attended, but failed to stay awake. Marc still appreciated the fun moment for the family. Per USA Today:
“It was a really special moment for everybody,” Marc Gasol said. “For our parents on the stands, our little brother on the stands, my wife and mom — my daughter, for the first time watching the game. Well, I don’t think she watched much. I think at the half, she fell asleep, from what I saw.”
However, Gasol was still enthusiastic about the night.
“It was special,” he said. “It was real emotional. But at the same time, I was real happy.”
Here’s what his daughter may have missed: he had 6 points on the night, while Pau had 10.