Orlando Magic (2007–2010) On August 2, 2007, Gortat signed with the
Orlando Magic. On November 20, he was assigned to the
Anaheim Arsenal of the
NBA Development League. He was recalled from the D-League on December 2, and debuted for the Magic on March 1, 2008, against the New York Knicks. On April 16, 2008, in the Magic's last game of the
2007–08 season, little-used Gortat played 28 minutes and registered 12 points and 11 rebounds in a 103–83 Magic win over the
Washington Wizards. On December 15, 2008, starting in place of the injured
Dwight Howard, Gortat played 28 minutes and recorded 16 points and 13 rebounds in a 108–98 win over the
Golden State Warriors. On April 13, 2009, again starting in place of Howard, Gortat played almost 43 minutes and topped his career high in rebounding with 18 rebounds and had 10 points. On April 30, 2009, Gortat made his first playoff start in Game 6 against the
Philadelphia 76ers, replacing Howard, who was suspended because of his actions in game 5. He had 11 points and 15 rebounds as the Magic eliminated the 76ers 4–2. That Magic playoff run continued all the way to the
NBA Finals, making Gortat the first Polish-born player to ever appear in the championship series. On July 8, 2009, Gortat, a restricted free agent, signed an offer sheet for five years and $34 million with the
Dallas Mavericks. However, Orlando prevented Gortat from going to Dallas by matching the offer sheet on July 13, 2009. Gortat was said to be "very disappointed" to stay with the Magic, since continuing as backup to Dwight Howard would mean limited playing time, whereas playing for Dallas would likely have meant being the starting center.
Phoenix Suns (2010–2013) On December 18, 2010, Gortat was traded to the
Phoenix Suns along with
Vince Carter,
Mickaël Piétrus, a 2011 first-round draft pick (which would become
Nikola Mirotić), and $3 million, in exchange for
Jason Richardson,
Earl Clark, and then-former Magic player and former teammate
Hedo Türkoğlu. Due to
Steve Nash wearing the #13 jersey, which was the number that Gortat had worn in Orlando and Poland, he decided to wear #4 for his tenure with the Suns. During his first season with the Suns, his numbers increased as his minutes grew, initially coming off the bench, then starting at center in place of
Robin Lopez. During his time in Phoenix, Gortat continued to be known as "the Polish Hammer" a nickname originally given to him during his time with the Orlando Magic. During the
lockout-shortened 2011–12 season, Gortat averaged 15.4 points and 10.0 rebounds per game. He was the only Suns player to start and play every game of the regular season. Gortat also joined the likes of former Magic teammate
Dwight Howard,
Andrew Bynum, and
DeMarcus Cousins as the only centers to average a double-double that season. After the season ended, he was named to the
Polish national basketball team for the
FIBA EuroBasket 2013 qualification round. In the second game against
Finland, he scored 27 points and grabbed 21 rebounds to help Poland qualify for
2013's FIBA Eurobasket tournament. On November 7, 2012, he scored 23 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, and had a career-best 7 blocks in a 117–110 victory against the
Charlotte Bobcats. In late February, Gortat suffered a knee injury, and was left off the team for the rest of the season.
Washington Wizards (2013–2018) On October 25, 2013, Gortat was traded, along with
Shannon Brown,
Malcolm Lee, and
Kendall Marshall, to the
Washington Wizards in exchange for
Emeka Okafor and a 2014 protected first-round draft pick. On February 27, 2014, Gortat recorded a career-high 31 points and 12 rebounds in a 134–129 triple overtime win over the Toronto Raptors. On May 13, he recorded 31 points (his playoff career high) and 16 rebounds to help the Wizards avoid elimination in Game 5 of their second-round series with the Indiana Pacers. He became the first Wizards player with at least 30 points and 15 rebounds in a playoff game since
Moses Malone in 1987. On July 10, 2014, Gortat re-signed with the Wizards to a reported five-year, $60 million contract. On December 28, 2015, Gortat was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played December 21–27, earning the honor for the first time in his career. On February 29, 2016, he scored 13 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter and grabbed a career-high 20 rebounds in the Wizards' 116–108 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.
Los Angeles Clippers (2018–2019) On June 26, 2018, Gortat was traded to the
Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for
Austin Rivers. On January 5, 2019, Gortat recorded a
double-double with 18 points and 13 rebounds during a 121–111 win over the Suns. On February 7, he was waived by the Clippers. On February 16, 2020, Gortat officially announced his retirement from basketball.
Back to Washington Wizards as assistant coach In October 2022, he joined the Wizards as temporary assistant coach. Gortat brought Polish Heritage Night () back to the
NBA for the first time since retiring. The 9th edition of this event will celebrate Polish heritage when Washington hosts the
San Antonio Spurs with another Pole,
Jeremy Sochan on the roster on March 24, 2023. == Personal life ==