Rudy Gobert-Bourgarel ( goh-BAIR, French: [ʁydi gobɛʁ]; born June 26, 1992) is a French professional basketball player for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He previously played for the Utah Jazz who acquired him during the 2013 NBA draft. Gobert also represents the French national team in its international competitions. Standing at 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) tall with a wingspan of 7 ft 9 in (2.36 m) long, he plays the center position. Nicknamed "the Stifle Tower", he is regarded as one of the best defensive players of all time.
Gobert has won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award four times, tied for the most in NBA history with Dikembe Mutombo and Ben Wallace. He is a four-time All-NBA Team member, eight-time All-Defensive First Team member, and three-time NBA All-Star. Gobert was also the NBA blocks leader in the 2016–17 season and the NBA rebounding leader in the 2021–22 season. Gobert was named to the All-NBA Second Team in 2017, and the All-NBA Third Team in 2019, 2020, and 2021.
In March 2020, Gobert tested positive for COVID-19, becoming the first NBA player with a confirmed case of the virus. After teammates of Gobert's on the Utah Jazz, including Donovan Mitchell, also tested positive, the NBA postponed the 2019–20 season until its resumption on July 30 of the same year.
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Early life
Gobert was born in Saint-Quentin, Aisne, in the north of France. His father, Rudy Bourgarel, is from the French overseas department of Guadeloupe and played college basketball in the United States for the Marist Red Foxes from 1985 to 1988. Bourgarel played professional basketball in Paris and Saint-Quentin, where he met Gobert's mother. Gobert's parents split when he was around three years old; he stayed with his mother in Saint-Quentin and made regular trips to Guadeloupe for his father. Gobert started playing basketball in 2003 for the JSC St-Quentin club, before later joining the Saint-Quentin BB club. In 2007, he joined Cholet Basket's cadet categories training center and in 2010, he participated 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.
Professional career
Cholet (2011–2013)
From 2009 to 2011, Gobert mostly played for the Cholet Basket junior team, managing just one game for the senior team in 2010–11, recording 6 points, 5 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 block in 13 minutes on May 10, 2011, against Pau-Lacq-Orthez. In 2011–12, he averaged 4.2 points and 3.6 rebounds per game in 29 games for Cholet. During the next season in 2012–13, he averaged 8.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per game in 27 games.
Utah Jazz (2013–2022)
Gobert declared for the 2013 NBA draft and set NBA Draft Combine records for wingspan (7 feet 8+1⁄2 inches) and standing reach (9 feet 7 inches) in the 2013 combine. These dimensions earned him the nickname "The Stifle Tower". The record for wingspan was broken a year later by Walter Tavares.
On June 27, 2013, Gobert was selected with the 27th overall pick by the Denver Nuggets. He was later traded on draft night to the Utah Jazz. On July 6, he signed his rookie scale contract with the Jazz and joined them for the 2013 NBA Summer League. In just his 12th game for the Jazz on November 24, Gobert scored a season-high 10 points against the Oklahoma City Thunder. On December 14, he was assigned to the Bakersfield Jam of the NBA Development League. Gobert was a starter in all eight of his games in the Development League, 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 played sparingly for the Jazz in 2013–14, making an appearance in 45 of the team's 82 regular season games.
In July 2014, Gobert re-joined the Jazz for the 2014 NBA Summer League. On October 24, 2014, the Jazz exercised their third-year team option on Gobert's rookie scale contract, extending the contract through the 2015–16 season. On January 9, 2015, he recorded a career-high seven blocked shots in a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. On March 3, he recorded 15 points and a career-high 24 rebounds in a 93–82 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. His 24 rebounds were three short of the Jazz franchise record of 27 set twice by Truck Robinson, both in the 1977–78 season. In April 2015, he twice scored a career-high 20 points, and finished the 2014–15 season with 25 double-doubles. He went on to finish third in the NBA Most Improved Player Award voting.
On October 17, 2015, the Jazz exercised their fourth-year team option on Gobert's rookie scale contract, extending the contract through the 2016–17 season. On December 2, 2015, he was ruled out indefinitely after sustaining a sprained left MCL. He returned to action on January 7, 2016, against the Houston Rockets after missing 18 games with the injury. He was limited to just 15 minutes but chipped in six points and three rebounds. On January 16, he had a season-best game with 18 points, 18 rebounds and 5 blocks in a 109–82 win over the Los Angeles Lakers. On February 27, he recorded 12 points, a season-high 19 rebounds and six blocks in a 98–96 loss to the Brooklyn Nets.
Minnesota Timberwolves (2022–present)
On July 6, 2022, 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. On October 20, Gobert made his Timberwolves debut, putting up 23 points and 16 rebounds in a 115–108 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. On October 28, Gobert recorded 22 points and 21 rebounds in an 111–102 win over the Los Angeles Lakers; that was his 8th career 20/20 game and first in Minnesota. On January 6, 2023, Gobert logged 25 points and 21 rebounds on 11-of-15 shooting from the field in a 128–115 win over the Los Angeles Clippers. On March 3, Gobert had 22 points and 14 rebounds in a 110–102 win over the Los Angeles Lakers. On April 9, Gobert was involved in a physical altercation with teammate Kyle Anderson during a game against the New Orleans Pelicans. Gobert swung at Anderson after a verbal exchange on the sideline, after which Gobert was escorted away. The incident took place during the second quarter, and Gobert was subsequently sent home early from the game. The next day, it was announced that Gobert would be suspended for one game as a result of the incident.
On November 14, 2023, Gobert was involved in an altercation in a game against the Golden State Warriors in which during a team brawl, Gobert entered the brawl to separate Warriors guard Klay Thompson and teammate Jaden McDaniels. Warriors forward Draymond Green put Gobert into a chokehold and pulled him away from the fight while Gobert was trying to separate the two players. This resulted in Green, along with Thompson and McDaniels, being ejected from the game for their participation in the brawl. Gobert later called out Green's actions as "clown behavior".
On December 2, Gobert scored a personal season-high 26 points on 10-of-12 shooting along with 12 rebounds and 3 blocks in 123–117 win over the Charlotte Hornets. Gobert was named Defensive Player of the Year, after anchoring Minnesota's #1 ranked defense. This was the fourth time he won the award, which ties Dikembe Mutombo and Ben Wallace for the most in NBA history. Gobert also became the first player in Timberwolves’ history to win Defensive Player of the Year honors.
On May 7, 2024, Gobert missed a significant playoff game against the Denver Nuggets due to the birth of his child. Despite his absence, the Timberwolves, led by Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns, each scoring 27 points, managed to secure a 2–0 series lead over the defending champions, holding the Nuggets to a 34.9% shooting from the field. The Timberwolves reached the conference finals against the Dallas Mavericks, but lost in 5 games. Luka Dončić scored the game winning shot over Gobert in Game 2 after an Edwards turn-over.
Personal life
On February 21, 2024, he announced on an Instagram post that he was expecting a child with Julia Bonilla. They announced the birth of their son, Roméo, the next day of his birth, on May 7, 2024. The birth caused him to miss Game 2 of the Conference Semifinals against the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets, a game that the Timberwolves still won. They would go on to win the series in Game 7. Gobert and Bonilla have reportedly broken up since then.
Awards and honors
NBA
3× NBA All-Star: 2020–2022
4x All-NBA Team selections:
All-NBA Second Team: 2017
3× All-NBA Third Team: 2019–2021
4× NBA Defensive Player of the Year: 2018, 2019, 2021, 2024
9x NBA All-Defensive Team selections:
8× All-Defensive First Team: 2017–2022, 2024, 2026
All-Defensive Second Team: 2025
NBA rebounding leader: 2022
NBA blocks leader: 2017
French Basketball
2x Olympics silver medalist: 2020, 2024
Olympics All-Star Five: 2020
2x FIBA World Cup bronze medalist: 2014, 2019
EuroBasket silver medalist: 2022
EuroBasket bronze medalist: 2015
EuroBasket All-Tournament Team: 2022
French player of the year: 2019
NBA career statistics
National team career
Junior national team
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. In the 2012 edition, Gobert was named to the All-Tournament team alongside countryman, Léo Westermann.
Senior national team
Gobert was called by head coach Vincent Collet to help the senior French national team prepare for the 2012 Summer Olympics tournament. He played two friendly games, scoring 8 points. He was part of the team that won the bronze medal at the 2014 FIBA World Cup, where he averaged 4.1 points per game.
In 2015, he helped France to bronze at the EuroBasket 2015, averaging 10.4 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks during the tournament, while receiving All-European Championships Second Team distinction's from the website Eurobasket.com.
At the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Gobert played in five games for France, tallying 5.7 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game. He also 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.
In the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Gobert guided France to a silver medal, 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.
In the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, Gobert won a silver medal with France, averaging 3.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game.