Rudy Gobert

At 31 years old, Rudy Gobert has this physical status:

Rudy Gobert-Bourgarel (born June 26, 1992) is a French professional basketball player for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

He also represents the French national basketball team in international competitions.

He stands at 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) long with a 7-foot (9.36 m) wingspan.

In the 2016-2017 season, he was the NBA block leader.

He received back-to-back NBA Defensive Player of the Year awards in 2018, making him one of only ten players in NBA history to win at least twice.

With 306 dunks, Gobert tied for the single-season record for slam dunks.

Gobert led the NBA in screen assists last year, with 482, an impressive field goal percentage of 66.9 percent, and a true shooting percentage of 68 percent.

In 2017, and 2019, he was named to an All-NBA team. In 2019, he was named the French Player of the Year.

Early life

Gobert was born in Saint-Quentin, Aisne, France's north of France. Rudy Bourgarel, his father, is from Guadeloupe, and he played college basketball in the United States from 1985 to 1988. Bourgarel played competitive basketball in Paris and Saint-Quentin, where he met Gobert's mother. When Gobert was three years old, he divorced; he stayed with his mother in Saint-Quentin and took frequent trips to Guadeloupe for his father. Gobert began playing basketball for the JSC St-Quentin club in 2003 before joining the Saint-Quentin BB club later this year. He joined Cholet Basket's cadet categories training center in 2007, and in 2010, he competed in the FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship with the French under-18 national team, where he finished as the team's best scorer and rebounder.

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Professional career

Gobert played for the Cholet Basket junior team from 2009 to 2011, losing just one game for the senior team in 2010-11, scoring 6 points, 5 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 block in 13 minutes against Pau-Lacq-Orthez. In 29 games for Cholet, he averaged 4.2 points and 3.6 rebounds per game from 2011-2012. He averaged 8.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per game in 27 games during the 2012–13 season.

In the 2013 combine, Gobert declared for the 2013 NBA draft and set new NBA Draft Combine records for wingspan (7 foot 812 inches) and standing reach (9 foot 7 inches). Because of his heights, he was dubbed "The Stifle Tower." Walter Tavares set the record for wingspan a year ago.

Gobert was selected with the Denver Nuggets' 27th overall pick on June 27, 2013. On draft night, he was traded to the Utah Jazz. He signed his rookie scale deal with the Jazz on July 6 and joined them for the 2013 NBA Summer League. Gobert scored a season-high ten points against the Oklahoma City Thunder in just his 12th game for the Jazz on November 24. He was named in the NBA Development League's Bakersfield Jam on December 14. Gobert started in all eight of his Development League games, scoring a double-double in six of those games.

He was later recalled by the Jazz on December 21, reassigned on January 4, and recalled again on January 13. He appeared in 45 of the team's 82 regular season games, although he appeared sparingly for the Jazz in 2013–14.

Gobert rejoined the Jazz for the 2014 NBA Summer League in July 2014. The Jazz exercised their third-year team option on Gobert's rookie scale contract on October 24, 2014, extending the deal into the 2015-2016 season. In a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on January 9, 2015, he fired a career-high seven blocked shots. In a 93–82 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies, he scored 15 points and a career-high 24 rebounds. His 24 rebounds fell three short of his Jazz franchise record of 27 set by Truck Robinson twice, both in the 1977–78 season. He twice scored a career-high 20 points in April 2015 and ended the 2014–15 season with 25 double-doubles. In the NBA Most Improved Player Award voting, he finished third.

On October 17, 2015, the Jazz tried their fourth-year squad option on Gobert's rookie scale contract, extending the deal through the 2016-17 season. He was ruled out indefinitely after suffering a swollen left MCL on December 2, 2015. After missing 18 games due to the injury, he returned to action against the Houston Rockets on January 7, 2016. He was limited to only 15 minutes, but he had a six-point lead and three rebounds. In a 109-82 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on January 16, he had his season-best game, with 18 points, 18 rebounds, and 5 blocks. In a 98-96 loss to the Brooklyn Nets, he scored 12 points, a season-high 19 rebounds, and six blocks.

Gobert joined the Jazz on October 31, 2016, making him the highest-paid French actor ever (in terms of salary per year). In an 112-105 victory over the Phoenix Suns on December 6, 2016, he scored a career-high 22 points. In a 104–84 victory over the Sacramento Kings, he had 17 points, 14 rebounds, and a season-high six blocks. Gobert scored his franchise-best 25th game in a row on January 10, 2017, defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers. (14). In an 112-107 overtime victory over the Dallas Mavericks on January 20, 2017, he set career highs of 27 points and 25 rebounds. In a 109-100 victory over the Indiana Pacers on the following day, he had his 31st double-double of the season with 19 points and 11 rebounds. His 11 rebounds were his 30th straight game with at least 10 rebounds—only four other NBA players have had a streak of 30-rebound games since 1997–98. On January 23, his streak ended at 30 after falling one rebound shy of his 31st straight 10-plus rebound game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on January 23. Gobert made 499 career blocked shots against New Orleans on February 8, defeating Rich Kelley (498) for ninth on the franchise's all-time block list. The Jazz had 16 points and 24 rebounds, as time expired in overtime to lift the Jazz to a 110-109 victory over the Sacramento Kings on March 5. He had 16 points and 24 rebounds and tipped in a missed shot on March 5, boosting the Jazz to a 110-109 victory over the Sacramento Kings. In a 107-100 loss to the Indiana Pacers on March 20, he had 16 points, 14 rebounds, and a career-high eight blocks. In a 108-101 victory over the New York Knicks, he scored a career-high 35 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. Eleven of his 13 rebounds were offensive.

Gobert sustained a hyperextension and bone bruise in Game 1 of the Jazz's first-round playoff series against the Los Angeles Clippers on April 15, the first possession of the season. Utah skipped Game 1 without him, but the Jazz went on to miss Games 2 and 3 as the Jazz went down 2–1 in the series. Gobert returned to the line-up for Game 4 and led to a 105-98 win with 15 points and 13 rebounds. The Jazz won Game 7 by 104–91, effectively ending the Clippers' first-round series 4–3. They were swept out of the playoffs by the Golden State Warriors in the second round, although not out of the playoffs. For the first time in his career, Gobert was named in the All-NBA Second Team at the end of the season. He also earned first-team awards in NBA All-Defensive.

Gobert started the 2017–18 season with eight double-doubles, while still averaging 2.5 blocks per game. With a bone bruise in his right knee, he was sentenced to four-to-six weeks from November 12, 2017. He returned earlier than expected, re-joining the team after missing 11 games. However, after suffering a sprained posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) in his left knee and a bone bruise on December 15, he was ruled out for at least two weeks. In a 117-115 loss to the New York Knicks, he returned to action on January 19, with 23 points, 14 rebounds, and three blocks. In a 116-108 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on March 2, 2018, he scored a season-high 26 points and grabbed 16 rebounds. He was named in the NBA All-Defensive First Team in May 2018, becoming the third Jazz player to earn multiple All-Defensive First Team awards, alongside Karl Malone (1997, 1998, and 1999) and Mark Eaton (1985, 1989, and 1989). In June, he was named NBA Defensive Player of the Year for the first Jazz player since two-time honoree Mark Eaton, the second French-born to win the award, and the first French-born to win the award.

In a 117-96 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on December 25, 2018, Gobert registered a season-high seven blocks. In a 129–97 victory over the New York Knicks, he had a team-high 25 points on 10-of-12 shooting and grabbed 16 rebounds for his 31st double-double of the season on December 29. At halftime, he had 24 points and 12 rebounds for the first time since Carlos Boozer did it in February 2010. In a 110-102 victory over the Chicago Bulls on January 12, 2019, he had a career-high eight assists. In a 100-94 victory over the Detroit Pistons, he tied a career high with 25 rebounds. In a 129-109 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on January 16, he had 23 points and 22 rebounds. He was named Western Conference Player of the Week on March 18, his first week as a professional player of the week. In a 125–92 victory over the Phoenix Suns, he scored a season-high 27 points and tied the single-season NBA dunk record. With his 270th dunk of the season, he defeated Dwight Howard's 269 dunks in 2007–08. He had a career with a tally of 306 dunks in the regular season. Gobert was named the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year for the second year in a row at the NBA's end-of-season awards dinner.

In 2019, Gobert was named the French Player of the Year. He was the 10th multi-time winner of the award and the ninth to win back-to-back.

Gobert had 15.7 points and 14.6 rebounds per game in his first 45 games in the 2019-20 season, making him an offense and a defense anchor for the Jazz. Gobert and teammate Donovan Mitchell were selected as a Western Conference reserve for the 2020 NBA All-Star Game on January 30, 2020.

A game between the Utah Jazz and the Oklahoma City Thunder was postponed right before tip-off due to injury. He was admitted to a local hospital and tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. The NBA then ended the season indefinitely. Gobert had jokingly touched every microphone and recorder at a press conference about the Utah Jazz's reaction to the virus just two days earlier. Gobert apologised, claiming that his activities were careless and exposed others to the disease, and that his tale may be a warning to others not to take the virus seriously. He had been ruled out of the coronavirus on March 27, but not on March 27. When infected with COVID-19, it was discovered in April that his relationship with Mitchell had soured as a result of his carelessness, and Gobert admitted that the two did not speak for some time after. Gobert has donated $500,000 to assist those impacted by COVID-19, such as part-time employees and COVID-related services.

Gobert signed a five-year, $205 million deal extension with the Jazz on December 20, 2020. Gobert's was the third most valuable deal in NBA history, and the most for a center ever.

Gobert, along with teammate Donovan Mitchell, was named as a Western Conference reserve for the 2021 NBA All-Star Game, marking the pair's second consecutive All-Star selection. In 120-95 victory over the Chicago Bulls, Gobert recorded 21 points, ten rebounds, and a career-high nine blocks. For the third time in four years, Gobert was named NBA Defensive Player of the Year, making him the fourth player to win the award three or more times in NBA history. Gobert's win was the first time in NBA history that four consecutive defensive player of the year awards had been won by international players in a row. In a Game 2 second-round victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on June 11, Gobert posted a playoff career-high 20 rebounds.

Gobert was named a reserve for the 2022 NBA All-Star Game on February 3, 2022. In the Defensive Player of the Year poll, he came third, behind champion Marcus Smart and Mikal Bridges. Gobert led the league in rebound per game with 14.7 blocks per game, and third in blocks per game with 2.1 blocks per game, while Gobert led the league in FG% with 71 percent and shot a career high from the free throw line. Gobert was named to his sixth straight NBA All-Defensive First Team on May 20th.

Gobert was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Patrick Beverley, Malik Beasley, Jarred Vanderbilt, Leandro Bolmaro, and the draft rights to center Walker Kessler in addition to four first-round picks and a 2022 first-round pick swap. In a 115-108 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder, Gobert made his Timberwolves debut on October 20, putting up 23 points and 16 rebounds.

National team career

Gobert received the bronze medal at the 2011 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship and the silver medal at the 2012 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship. Gobert was named to the All-Tournament team in the 2012 edition, alongside countryman Léo Westermann.

Gobert was appointed by head coach Vincent Collet to assist the senior French national team in the 2012 Summer Olympics tournament. He appeared in two friendly games, scoring 8 points. He was a member of the bronze medalist team at the 2014 FIBA World Cup in which he averaged 4.1 points per game.

He led France to bronze at the EuroBasket 2015, averaging 10.4 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks during the tournament, as well as receiving the All-European Championships Second Team award from the website Eurobasket.com.

Gobert played in five games for France during the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, gaining 5.7 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game. At the 2019 FIBA World Cup, he also won the bronze medal with France, where he averaged 10.1 points, 9.1 rebounds, 0.6 steals, and 1.9 blocks per game.

Gobert led France to a silver medal in the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, starting each game and averaging 12.2 points and 9.3 rebounds.

In 2022, he led France to silver at the EuroBasket 2022, averaging 12.8 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks during the tournament, while being selected to the All-Tournament Team for the first time.

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