Rudy Gobert

Rudy Gobert
Gobert in 2015
No. 27 – Utah Jazz
Position Center
League NBA
Personal information
Born (1992-06-26) June 26, 1992
Saint-Quentin, France
Nationality French
Listed height 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m)
Listed weight 255 lb (116 kg)
Career information
NBA draft 2013 / Round: 1 / Pick: 27th overall
Selected by the Denver Nuggets
Playing career 2010–present
Career history
2010–2013 Cholet
2013–present Utah Jazz
2013–2014 →Bakersfield Jam
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  France
World Cup
2014 Spain
EuroBasket
2015 France

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 the 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 at the center position. He was the NBA blocks leader in the 2016–17 season, and was named an All-NBA Team member that season as well.

Early life

Gobert was born in Saint-Quentin, Aisne, in the north of France. He is the son of Corinne Gobert,[1] and Rudy Bourgarel, a former professional basketball player from Guadeloupe who played for the French national team in the 1980s. Prior to his professional career, Bourgarel had attended Marist College in New York.[2] Raised in his native town, Gobert started playing basketball in 2003 for the JSC St-Quentin club, before later joining the Saint-Quentin Basket-Ball club. In 2007, he joined the Cholet training center and in 2010, he participated in the FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship for the French junior national team where he finished as the team's best scorer and rebounder.[3]

Professional career

Cholet Basket (2010–2013)

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 2011–12, he averaged 4.2 points and 3.6 rebounds per game in 29 games for Cholet.[4] During the next season in 2012–13, he averaged 8.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per game in 27 games.

Utah Jazz (2013–present)

2013–14 season

Gobert declared for the 2013 NBA draft and set NBA Draft Combine records for wingspan (7 feet 8½ inches) and standing reach (9 feet 7 inches) in the 2013 combine.[5] These dimensions earned him the nickname "The Stifle Tower."[6][7] 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.[8] On July 6, he signed his rookie scale contract with the Jazz and joined them for the 2013 NBA Summer League.[9] In just his 12th game for the Jazz on November 24, Gobert scored a season-high 10 points against the Oklahoma City Thunder.[10] On December 14, he was assigned to the Bakersfield Jam of the NBA Development League.[11] He was later recalled by the Jazz on December 21,[12] reassigned on January 4,[13] and recalled again on January 13.[14] He played sparingly for the Jazz in 2013–14, making an appearance in 45 of the team's 82 regular season games.

2014–15 season

In July 2014, Gobert re-joined the Jazz for the 2014 NBA Summer League.[15] 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.[16] On January 9, 2015, he recorded a career-high seven blocked shots in a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.[17][18] 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.[19] In April 2015, he twice scored a career-high 20 points, and finished the 2014–15 season with 25 double-doubles.[20] He went on to finish third in the NBA Most Improved Player Award voting.[21]

2015–16 season

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.[22] On December 2, 2015, he was ruled out indefinitely after sustaining a sprained left MCL.[23] 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.[24] 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.[25] On February 27, he recorded 12 points, a season-high 19 rebounds and six blocks in a 98–96 loss to the Brooklyn Nets.[26]

2016–17 season

On October 31, 2016, Gobert signed a four-year, $102 million contract extension with the Jazz,[27][28] which at the time made him the best paid French athlete ever (in terms of salary per year).[29] On December 6, 2016, he scored a career-high 22 points in a 112–105 win over the Phoenix Suns.[30] Four days later, he had 17 points, 14 rebounds and a season-high six blocks in a 104–84 win over the Sacramento Kings.[31] On January 10, 2017, in a win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, Gobert posted his franchise-best 25th consecutive game with 10-plus rebounds (14).[32] On January 20, 2017, he recorded career highs of 27 points and 25 rebounds in a 112–107 overtime win over the Dallas Mavericks.[33] The following day, he had his 31st double-double of the season with 19 points and 11 rebounds in a 109–100 win over the Indiana Pacers.[34] His 11 rebounds marked his 30th straight game with at least 10 rebounds—only four other NBA players have had a 30-game streak of 10-rebound games since 1997–98.[33] His streak ended at 30 after falling one rebound shy of his 31st consecutive 10-plus rebound game on January 23 against the Oklahoma City Thunder.[35] With two blocks against New Orleans on February 8, Gobert reached 499 career blocked shots, passing Rich Kelley (498) for ninth on the franchise's all-time block list.[36] On March 5, he had 16 points and 24 rebounds and tipped in a missed shot as time expired in overtime to lift the Jazz to a 110–109 win over the Sacramento Kings.[37] On March 20, he had 16 points, 14 rebounds and a career-high eight blocks in a 107–100 loss to the Indiana Pacers.[38] Two days later, he scored a career-high 35 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in a 108–101 win over the New York Knicks. Eleven of his 13 rebounds were offensive.[39]

In Game 1 of the Jazz's first-round playoff series against the Los Angeles Clippers on April 15, Gobert suffered a hyperextension and bone bruise to his left knee; the injury occurred on the first possession of the game.[40] Utah took Game 1 without him, but he 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 contributed to a 105–98 win with 15 points and 13 rebounds.[41] The Jazz went on to eliminate the Clippers with a 104–91 victory in Game 7, closing out the first-round series 4–3 to earn the franchise's first postseason victory since 2010.[42] However, they were swept by the Golden State Warriors in the second round to bow out of the playoffs. At the season's end, Gobert was named in the All-NBA Second Team for the first time in his career.[43] He also earned NBA All-Defensive First Team honors.[44]

2017–18 season

Gobert began the 2017–18 season with eight double-doubles while averaging a league-best 2.5 blocks per game.[45] On November 12, 2017, he was ruled out for four-to-six weeks with a bone bruise in his right knee.[46] He returned earlier than expected, re-joining the squad on December 4 after missing 11 games.[47] However, after suffering a sprained posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) in his left knee and a bone bruise on December 15, he was ruled for at least another two weeks.[48] He returned to action on January 19, recording 23 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks in a 117–115 loss to the New York Knicks.[49] On March 2, 2018, he scored a season-high 26 points and grabbed 16 rebounds in a 116–108 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.[50] In May 2018, he was named in the NBA All-Defensive First Team, becoming the third Jazz player ever to earn multiple All-Defensive First Team recognitions, alongside Karl Malone (1997, 1998 and 1999) and Mark Eaton (1985, 1986 and 1989).[51] In June, he was named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year, becoming the first Jazz player to win the award since two-time honoree Mark Eaton last won the award in 1989.[52]

NBA career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high
* Led the league

Regular season

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2013–14 Utah 4509.6.486–.4923.4.2.2.92.3
2014–15 Utah 823726.3.604.000.6239.51.3.82.38.4
2015–16 Utah 616031.7.559–.56911.01.5.72.29.1
2016–17 Utah 818133.9.661.000.65312.81.2.62.6*14.0
2017–18 Utah 555532.4.615–.68110.71.4.82.313.5
Career 32423327.9.615.000.6299.91.2.62.210.0

Playoffs

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2017 Utah 9927.3.635-.4809.91.21.01.311.6
2018 Utah 111134.8.655-.60310.71.0.92.313.2
Career 202031.5.646-.54610.41.11.01.912.5

National team career

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.

Gobert was called by coach Vincent Collet to help the 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 Basketball World Cup, where he averaged 4.1 points per game.[53]

In 2015, he helped France to bronze at the European Championships, averaging 10.4 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.0 blocked shots during the tournament,[54] while receiving Eurobasket.com All-European Championships Second Team distinction.[55]

At the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, Gobert played in five games for France, tallying 5.7 points as well as 7.2 boards and 1.8 blocks per outing.[56]

References

  1. ↑ Reiter, Ben, ed. (1 February 2016). "Standing tall: Rudy Gobert altering shots, perceptions of French players". Standing tall: Rudy Gobert altering shots, perceptions of French players. Retrieved 29 April 2017.
  2. ↑ Tribune, Aaron Falk | The Salt Lake. "Utah Jazz: Rudy Gobert living his father's NBA dream". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 2016-11-27.
  3. ↑ "Rudy Gobert, un ancien basketteur de Saint-Quentin (02) en NBA la saison prochaine". FranceTVInfo.fr (in French). July 28, 2013. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
  4. ↑ "Rudy Gobert – Cholet – Players – Pro A – LNB.fr". LNB.fr. Archived from the original on November 1, 2014. Retrieved July 9, 2013.
  5. ↑ "2013 NBA Mock Draft 3.0". SportsIllustrated.cnn.com. July 14, 2013. Archived from the original on May 12, 2014. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
  6. ↑ "Utah Jazz: The Stifle Tower? French center Rudy Gobert making a big first impression". DeseretNews.com. July 9, 2013. Retrieved July 9, 2013.
  7. ↑ "Meet the Unknown Shot-Blocking Sensation Who's Opening Eyes Around the NBA". BleacherReport.com. March 14, 2015. Retrieved March 14, 2015.
  8. ↑ "Jazz Acquires Draft Rights to Rudy Gobert from Denver". NBA.com. June 27, 2013. Retrieved June 27, 2013.
  9. ↑ "Jazz Signs First-Round Pick Rudy Gobert". NBA.com. July 6, 2013. Retrieved July 6, 2013.
  10. ↑ "Rudy Gobert 2013-14 Game Log". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 27, 2016.
  11. ↑ "Utah Jazz assign Ian Clark and Rudy Gobert to D-League". InsideHoops.com. December 14, 2013. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
  12. ↑ "Utah Jazz recall Ian Clark and Rudy Gobert from D-League". InsideHoops.com. December 21, 2013. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
  13. ↑ "Utah Jazz re-assign Ian Clark and Rudy Gobert to D-League". InsideHoops.com. January 4, 2014. Retrieved January 4, 2014.
  14. ↑ "Jazz Recalls Clark and Gobert". NBA.com. January 13, 2014. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
  15. ↑ "Jazz Announce Final Roster for 2014 Summer League". NBA.com. July 11, 2014. Retrieved July 11, 2014.
  16. ↑ "Jazz Exercise Team Options on Burke and Gobert". NBA.com. October 24, 2014. Retrieved October 17, 2015.
  17. ↑ "Durant leads Thunder past Jazz 99-94". NBA.com. January 9, 2015. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
  18. ↑ "THE GOBERT FACTOR". HoopsHeads.com. January 10, 2015. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  19. ↑ "Hayward, Favors lead Jazz past Grizzlies, 93-82". NBA.com. March 3, 2015. Retrieved March 3, 2015.
  20. ↑ "Jazz pull away from Mavericks in 2nd half for 109-92 victory". NBA.com. April 13, 2015. Retrieved February 27, 2016.
  21. ↑ "Bulls' Butler wins 2014-15 Kia Most Improved Player Award". NBA.com. May 7, 2015. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
  22. ↑ "Jazz Exercise Team Options on Four Players". NBA.com. October 17, 2015. Retrieved October 17, 2015.
  23. ↑ "Rudy Gobert Injury Update (Dec. 2, 2015)". NBA.com. December 2, 2015. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
  24. ↑ "Harden, Rockets beat Jazz again, 103-94". NBA.com. January 7, 2016. Retrieved January 8, 2016.
  25. ↑ "Gobert posts double-double as Jazz defeat Lakers 109-82". NBA.com. January 16, 2016. Retrieved January 17, 2016.
  26. ↑ "Thaddeus Young scores 21, Nets beat Jazz 98-96". NBA.com. February 27, 2016. Retrieved February 27, 2016.
  27. ↑ "Jazz Sign Rudy Gobert to Multi-Year Contract Extension". NBA.com. October 31, 2016. Retrieved October 31, 2016.
  28. ↑ Wojnarowski, Adrian (October 31, 2016). "Sources: Rudy Gobert agrees to $102M extension with Jazz". Yahoo.com. Retrieved October 31, 2016.
  29. ↑ "NBA : Rudy Gobert signe un contrat record à 93 millions d'euros". leparisien.fr (in French). November 1, 2016. Retrieved November 27, 2016.
  30. ↑ "Hayward scores 28, Jazz hold on for 112-105 win over Suns". ESPN.com. December 6, 2016. Retrieved December 6, 2016.
  31. ↑ "Jazz overcome flurry of turnovers, beat Kings 104-84". ESPN.com. December 10, 2016. Retrieved December 11, 2016.
  32. ↑ "Hayward helps Jazz hold off LeBron, beat Cavs 100-92". ESPN.com. January 10, 2017. Retrieved January 10, 2017.
  33. 1 2 "Gobert 27 points, 25 rebounds in Jazz 112-107 OT win at Mavs". ESPN.com. January 20, 2017. Retrieved January 20, 2017.
  34. ↑ "Hill scores 30 vs. former team as Jazz beat Pacers 109-100". ESPN.com. January 21, 2017. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
  35. ↑ "Westbrook hits game-winner as Thunder beat Jazz 97-95". ESPN.com. January 23, 2017. Retrieved January 24, 2017.
  36. ↑ "Johnson scores 27, Jazz pound Pelicans 127-94". ESPN.com. February 8, 2017. Retrieved February 9, 2017.
  37. ↑ "Gobert's reviewed tip-in lifts Jazz past Kings in overtime". ESPN.com. March 5, 2017. Retrieved March 6, 2017.
  38. ↑ "Pacers hit all right notes in victory over road-weary Jazz". ESPN.com. March 20, 2017. Retrieved March 21, 2017.
  39. ↑ "Gobert scores career-high 35, Jazz beat Knicks 108-101". ESPN.com. March 22, 2017. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
  40. ↑ MacMahon, Tim (April 16, 2017). "Jazz's Rudy Gobert hopes to return during series vs. Clippers". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 16, 2017.
  41. ↑ "Johnson scores 28, Jazz beat Clippers 105-98 to even series". ESPN.com. April 23, 2017. Retrieved April 24, 2017.
  42. ↑ "Jazz sink Clippers in 7 for first postseason series win since 2010". ESPN.com. April 30, 2017. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
  43. ↑ "Russell Westbrook, James Harden, LeBron James lead 2016-17 All-NBA first team". ESPN.com. May 18, 2017. Retrieved May 18, 2017.
  44. ↑ "Rudy Gobert Named to NBA All-Defensive First Team". NBA.com. June 26, 2017. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
  45. ↑ "Rudy Gobert Injury Update". NBA.com. November 12, 2017. Retrieved November 12, 2017.
  46. ↑ Charania, Shams (November 12, 2017). "Sources: Jazz center Rudy Gobert expected to miss 4-to-6 weeks with bone bruise in knee". Yahoo.com. Retrieved November 12, 2017.
  47. ↑ "Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert available to play Monday vs. Washington Wizards". NBA.com. December 4, 2017. Retrieved December 5, 2017.
  48. ↑ Bolerjack, Nick (December 16, 2017). "Rudy Gobert Injury Update". NBA.com. Retrieved December 15, 2017.
  49. ↑ "Hardaway scores 31, Knicks topple Jazz 117-115". ESPN.com. January 19, 2018. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
  50. ↑ "Jazz beat Timberwolves 116-108 in game featuring 3 ejections". ESPN.com. March 2, 2018. Retrieved March 2, 2018.
  51. ↑ "Rudy Gobert Selected to the NBA All Defensive First Team". NBA.com. May 23, 2018. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
  52. ↑ Goon, Kyle (June 25, 2018). "Jazz's Rudy Gobert is honored as NBA Defensive Player of Year". sltrib.com. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
  53. ↑ "2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup – Rudy Gobert". FIBA.com. Retrieved October 17, 2015.
  54. ↑ "Rudy Gobert | EuroBasket 2015". www.eurobasket2015.org. Retrieved 2016-11-27.
  55. ↑ "European Championships Basketball, Teams, Scores, Stats, News, Standings - eurobasket.com". www.eurobasket.com. Retrieved 2016-11-27.
  56. ↑ "Rudy GOBERT at the Players of the Rio 2016 - Olympic Basketball Tournament (Men) 2016 - FIBA.com". FIBA.com. Retrieved 2016-11-27.
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