This is article from main polish daily
Bałuty is a district of Łódź - about 200k of people - where Marcin was born and grow up. This is on of most dangerous of city districts in Poland (but still it isn't as half a dangerous as american most dangerous areas)
Sorry for any mistakes in translation
Donata Subbotko: $ 60 million. So much you will earn for the next five years in the Washington Wizards. It could be better?
Marcin Gortat: This is financial range in which I wanted to fit. I had the best season of his career and I tried to win as much as possible. What could be better? I am 30 years old, age is working against me. And in the NBA situation has recently stabilized, virtually every team has centers - younger and older - for it I might have lost a little in the negotiations. But I also wanted to play on in Washington, I feel good there. This is a team that has great potential and prospects for the coming years. It's good.
Donata Subbotko: Contract is ready, now what - any holiday?
Marcin Gortat:- I travel the entire season, I don't want to see another airplane flight or sleep in a hotel. I prefer my own bed. I like to sit at home in Florida. There is always something to fix, to upgrade, to learn Spanish or even to wash car out of boredom. Besides, now I'm single and I don't want to fly anywhere alone.
A year ago I parted with my girlfriend. After four years. I didn't think about it too much, I had to concentrate on basketball. I knew that this year ends the contract I signed in 2009, and my future life will depend on the new one. And OK. Maybe I will meet a new person, maybe not. It's impossible to plan it, especially when it comes to a woman who is to be the one.
Donata Subbotko: It's hard to find?
Marcin Gortat:- But always be looking for.
I would like to have a family, build something permanent with someone. Though, and so - in contrast to many Poles - I get up in the morning willingly, I'm doing something that I love, and yet I get for it a lot of money. It would be stupid if I wasn't happy.
Besides, I'm a loner. Even when I lived with a girl, I often wanted to be alone. I often isolate myself from colleagues too. They go together to the club, the restaurant, and I don't . I'm staying at home and I'm not answering the phone.
Donata Subbotko: What do you do?
Marcin Gortat:- I look at the wall. I look at a white wall and become lost in thought.
Donata Subbotko: About what?
Marcin Gortat:- About everything. About life, about where I am and where I want to be, I analyze my actions, the situation, what would be good for me and what would be not.
Donata Subbotko: And what is a conclusion?
Marcin Gortat:- If it wasn't good (as more pros than cons), I would not be in this place where I am. I try not to be arrogant, but thanks to the hard work I achieve goals that I set myself. I am sometimes stubborn, some say too much.
Donata Subbotko: Is this white wall building you (strengthening you)?
Marcin Gortat:- But I don't sit and rock, I just wonder about myself, I'm getting rid of unnecessary tension. For example, the back of a match where I dropped 30 points. Someone might think that I'm already a superstar. But I, like sit in front of the white wall, it will bring itself down. Today I throw, tomorrow this will be someone else. I'm not that good, that I had to become someone else. It's not enough. Every time I analyze what I did right, what wrong.
I changed in myself a lot over the years. Once I was a different person. I paid attention to what they write about me, what they say about me - people I don't know. Today, it has not affect on my mood. When I arrived in 2005 to the United States, I was a young head who had no clue about the world. America, NBA, basketball made me a man.
This interview is rather long, so I will only summarise rest of it:
- he is talking about haters and envious persons in Poland, about differences in mentality between americans and poles.
- about his parents and place where he grow up
- that there is huge stress in leAgue (he is almost bald because of it), there is huge pressure for results. There is very big competition - for each position there are 3 other NBA players, and there are thousansd yong players who want to go to NBA
- because of stress about 8 for 10 player's relationships/marriages are falling apart.
- there is very hard to find woman who is after you and not money you earn, you can't be anonimous, you have no normal life
- if Marcin do something wrong or do mistake he is torturing/punishing himself - he train until he drop
- there is also something about polish politics and polish army but nothing important
Marcin: When I'm returning after training I immediately go to bed and in the morning I have pain in my knees, pain in the ankles, pain in the spine.
