He's been there since the early days. Was part of every campaign. He was still a rookie when a new manager was hired in the middle of season 3. He saw players making the team, and others leaving it. He worked harder than anyone else. He made it to the starting 5. Then slowly became a leader. The guy everyone would listen to. He played 455 official games. He played all positions, scoring more than 5,000 points and grabbing close to 4,000 rebounds. He faced success, joy, injuries, losses, deception, doubts, frustration, pain, tears... Slowly, season after season, he brought his team to higher levels. Of course he wasn't getting any younger, and eventually he was relegated to the bench. But he never stopped contributing. He never stopped sharing his experience. He always kept himself ready to go whenever the coaching staff called his number. And he always delivered.
Last Sunday, when he lifted the BBBL trophy in front of 19,500 fans, 36-year-old Zygmunt Gawlicki probably seized better than anyone else in the James Ford Center what he and his lads had just accomplished. In a way, every single gram of this trophy belonged to him. Every part of it was a bit of his career with Mizu. So heavy was the golden masterpiece that was awaiting him for 17 seasons. Zyg could feel the weight of it all. At last.