Rudy Gobert-Bourgarel is a French professional basketball player for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association.
43 Facts About Rudy Gobert
2.
Rudy Gobert previously played for the Utah Jazz who acquired him during the 2013 NBA draft.
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Rudy Gobert is considered one of the NBA's best rim protectors.
4.
Rudy Gobert has won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award three times, tied for third-most in NBA history.
5.
Rudy Gobert is a four-time All-NBA Team member, six-time All-Defensive First Team member, and three-time NBA All-Star.
6.
Rudy Gobert was named to the All-NBA Second Team in 2017, and the All-NBA Third Team in 2019,2020 and 2021.
7.
In March 2020, Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19, becoming the first NBA player with a confirmed case of the virus.
8.
Rudy Gobert was born in Saint-Quentin, Aisne, in the north of France.
9.
Rudy Gobert started playing basketball in 2003 for the JSC St-Quentin club, before later joining the Saint-Quentin BB club.
10.
On June 27,2013, Rudy Gobert was selected with the 27th overall pick by the Denver Nuggets.
11.
Rudy Gobert was later traded on draft night to the Utah Jazz.
12.
Rudy Gobert was a starter in all eight of his games in the Development League, scoring a double-double in six of those games.
13.
In July 2014, Rudy Gobert re-joined the Jazz for the 2014 NBA Summer League.
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Rudy Gobert went on to finish third in the NBA Most Improved Player Award voting.
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Rudy Gobert returned to action on January 7,2016, against the Houston Rockets after missing 18 games with the injury.
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Rudy Gobert was limited to just 15 minutes but chipped in six points and three rebounds.
17.
On October 31,2016, Rudy Gobert signed a four-year, $102 million contract extension with the Jazz, which at the time made him the best paid French athlete ever.
18.
On January 10,2017, in a win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, Rudy Gobert posted his franchise-best 25th consecutive game with 10-plus rebounds.
19.
At the season's end, Rudy Gobert was named in the All-NBA Second Team for the first time in his career.
20.
Rudy Gobert had 24 points and 12 rebounds at half time, marking the first time that a Jazz player totaled at least 20 points and 10 rebounds in any half since Carlos Boozer did it in February 2010.
21.
Rudy Gobert finished the regular season with a record 306 dunks.
22.
At the NBA's end-of-season awards night, Rudy Gobert was named the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year for the second season in a row.
23.
Rudy Gobert was named the French Player of the Year for 2019.
24.
On March 11,2020, a game between the Utah Jazz and the Oklahoma City Thunder was postponed right before tip-off after Rudy Gobert was placed on the injury list due to illness.
25.
Rudy Gobert was taken to a local hospital and tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic.
26.
Just two days earlier, Rudy Gobert had facetiously touched every microphone and recorder at a press conference concerning the Utah Jazz's response to the virus.
27.
Rudy Gobert apologized, saying his actions were careless and exposed others to the disease and that he hopes his story serves as a warning to others to take the virus seriously.
28.
Rudy Gobert has donated $500,000 to help people affected by COVID-19 including part-time employees and COVID-related services.
29.
On December 20,2020, Rudy Gobert signed a five-year, $205 million contract extension with the Jazz.
30.
Rudy Gobert's extension was the third largest contract in NBA history, and the largest ever for a center.
31.
On June 9,2021, Rudy Gobert was named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year for the third time in four years, making him the fourth player in NBA history to win the award three or more times.
32.
Rudy Gobert's win marked the first time in NBA history where four consecutive defensive player of the year awards had been won by international players.
33.
On February 3,2022, Rudy Gobert was named a reserve for the 2022 NBA All-Star Game.
34.
Rudy Gobert finished third in Defensive Player of the Year voting, behind winner Marcus Smart and Mikal Bridges.
35.
On July 6,2022, Rudy 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 2026 first-round pick swap.
36.
Rudy Gobert swung at Anderson after a verbal exchange on the sideline, after which Rudy Gobert was escorted away.
37.
The incident took place during the second quarter, and Rudy Gobert was sent home early from the game.
38.
The next day, it was announced that Rudy Gobert would be suspended for one game as a result of the incident.
39.
Rudy Gobert won the bronze medal at the 2011 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship and the silver medal at the 2012 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship.
40.
Rudy Gobert was called by head coach Vincent Collet to help the senior French national team prepare for the 2012 Summer Olympics tournament.
41.
Rudy Gobert was part of the team that won the bronze medal at the 2014 FIBA World Cup, where he averaged 4.1 points per game.
42.
At the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Rudy Gobert played in five games for France, tallying 5.7 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game.
43.
Rudy Gobert won the bronze medal with France at the 2019 FIBA World Cup, where he averaged 10.1 points, 9.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.6 steals, and 1.9 blocks per game.