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Memphis Grizzlies’ Marc Gasol Leads Extraordinary Life Outside Of Basketball

ByBrendan Smart|
Memphis Grizzlies' Spanish NBA player Marc Gasol, who took part in a migrant rescue operation, speaks during a press conference after two vessels of Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms arrived in Palma de Majorca on July 21, 2018. - Two vessels of Spanish NGO Proativa Open Arms involved in rescuing migrants in the Mediterranean arrived in the Spanish port of Palma carrying a woman found drifting on a deflated dinghy off Libya as well as the bodies of a boy and another woman. (Photo by PAU BARRENA / AFP) (Photo credit should read PAU BARRENA/AFP/Getty Images)
Memphis Grizzlies' Spanish NBA player Marc Gasol, who took part in a migrant rescue operation, speaks during a press conference after two vessels of Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms arrived in Palma de Majorca on July 21, 2018. - Two vessels of Spanish NGO Proativa Open Arms involved in rescuing migrants in the Mediterranean arrived in the Spanish port of Palma carrying a woman found drifting on a deflated dinghy off Libya as well as the bodies of a boy and another woman. (Photo by PAU BARRENA / AFP) (Photo credit should read PAU BARRENA/AFP/Getty Images)

Memphis Grizzlies Center Marc Gasol Helps Rescue Refugees in Sunday ESPN Feature.

Last year, Marc Gasol of the Memphis Grizzlies had a chance meeting with the founder of Proactiva Open Arms, a group that rescues immigrants fleeing war, persecution and poverty via the open sea. Last month, Gasol joined a search-and-rescue effort aboard two ships and the adventure will be the subject of Sunday’s SC Featured segment on ESPN SportsCenter.

“Open Arms” will debut in the 10 a.m. ET edition of SportsCenter on Sunday and re-air in other editions throughout the day. Veteran ESPN reporter Gene Wojciechowski traveled to the Mediterranean Sea and within 80 miles of the Libyan coast for what he describes as “a story unlike any other I’ve ever been a part of.

“During an actual rescue, we were with Marc on a small speedboat dispatched to the wreckage of a raft used by immigrants,” he said. “What we found that morning would later become an international incident: two bodies floating amongst the mangled remains of the rubber raft…and, miraculously, also a survivor.”

If you remember a picture of Gasol rescuing a refugee emerged earlier this offseason, and this ESPN segment will take a deep dive into Gasol’s very interesting, and inspiring offseason.

ESPN was nice enough to let us share a sneek peek of the ‘SC Featured’ segment that is set to air this weekend.

Gasol has shed light to a very sad situation and has done his part rescuing, and being an good humanitarian during a time when many people would turn their heads. Beale Street Bears, along with the entire city of Memphis are very proud of Gasol.

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