In 1975, at the young age of 22 and after finishing his career with the University of Kentucky, Dr. Guyette was drafted by the NBA as well as the ABA. Instead of playing basketball in the United States, he accepted the offer to play professional basketball for the premier basketball team of the Spanish league, the Futbol Club Barcelona globally known as “Barca”. That decision continues to have a positive impact on his life and that of his family, the friends he made in Barcelona, and now his oral surgery, facial cosmetic and implant patients at the Guyette Facial & Oral Surgery Center.
Dr. Guyette learned to speak Spanish rather quickly as an American on a Spanish team with a Yugoslavian coach. As anyone may imagine, learning team plays and ordering recognizable food in restaurants was a high priority! That very same year, the Spanish dictator, Generalissimo Franco died and Cataluña was given their freedom. An era of democratic euphoria and long-awaited autonomy began in the Catalan region which had lived under a dictatorship that persecuted its language and culture. Dr. Guyette embraced that Catalan culture, their people, and their customs while defending the FC Barcelona colors.
The relationships that were formed over the next five years with the players of Barcelona, directors and fans of the club are significant to Dr. Guyette and his family. For that reason the Guyette Family continues to visit Barcelona frequently. On their most recent trip to Barcelona this past September, Dr. Guyette was interviewed by the main TV station in Barcelona and asked about his memories of his days in Barcelona and events of his current life. Accompanying Dr. Guyette was his teammate and great friend, Manolo Flores.
As both a Physician and Oral Surgeon in Scottsdale Arizona and the Phoenix metro area: serving Litchfield Park, Avondale, Buckeye and Goodyear, Dr. Guyette welcomes the opportunity to serve Spanish speaking people and proudly converses in the Spanish language with his patients and referrals.
