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	245 lb (111 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 Basket
2013–present	Utah Jazz
2013–2014	→ Bakersfield Jam
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, he plays at the center position.

Early life

Gobert was born in Saint-Quentin, Aisne, in the north of France. He is the son of 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.^[1] 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.^[2]

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.^[3] 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)

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.^[4] These dimensions earned him the nickname "The Stifle Tower."^[5][6] 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.^[7] On July 6, he signed his rookie scale contract with the Jazz and joined them for the 2013 NBA Summer League.^[8] In just his 12th game for the Jazz on November 24, Gobert scored a season-high 10 points against the Oklahoma City Thunder.^[9] On December 14, he was assigned to the Bakersfield Jam of the NBA Development League.^[10] He was later recalled by the Jazz on December 21,^[11] reassigned on January 4,^[12] and recalled again on January 13.^[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.^[14] 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.^[15] On January 9, 2015, he recorded a career-high seven blocked shots in a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.^[16][17] 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.^[18] In April 2015, he twice scored a career-high 20 points, and finished the 2014–15 season with 25 double-doubles.^[19] He went on to finish third in the NBA Most Improved Player Award voting.^[20]

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.^[21] On December 2, 2015, he was ruled out indefinitely after sustaining a sprained left MCL.^[22] 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.^[23] 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.^[24] On February 27, he recorded 12 points, a season-high 19 rebounds and six blocks in a 98–96 loss to the Brooklyn Nets.^[25]

On October 31, 2016, Gobert signed a four-year, $102 million contract extension with the Jazz,^[26][27] which at the time made him the best paid French athlete ever (in terms of salary per year).^[28]

NBA career statistics

Regular season

International 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.^[29]

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,^[30] while receiving Eurobasket.com All-European Championships Second Team distinction.^[31]

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.^[32]

References

External links

• Career statistics and player information from NBA.com, or Basketball-Reference.com
• Rudy Gobert at euroleague.net
• Rudy Gobert on Twitter