Rudy Gobert

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.[2] 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.

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] Gobert was a starter in all eight of his games in the Development League, scoring a double-double in six of those games. [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.

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]

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]

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]

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]

On December 25, 2018, Gobert recorded a season-high seven blocks in a 117–96 win over the Portland Trail Blazers.[53] On December 29, he had a team-high 25 points on 10-of-12 shooting and grabbed 16 rebounds for his 31st double-double of the season in a 129–97 win over the New York Knicks. He 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.[54] On January 12, 2019, he had a career-high eight assists in a 110–102 win over the Chicago Bulls.[55] On January 14, he tied a career high with 25 rebounds in a 100–94 win over the Detroit Pistons.[56] On January 16, he had 23 points and 22 rebounds in a 129–109 win over the Los Angeles Clippers.[57] On March 18, he was named Western Conference Player of the Week, marking his first career player of the week honor.[58] On March 25, he scored a season-high 27 points and set the single-season NBA dunk record in a 125–92 win over the Phoenix Suns. With his 270th dunk of the season, he bested Dwight Howard's 269 dunks in 2007–08.[59] He finished the regular season with a record 306 dunks.[60] At the NBA's end-of-season awards night, Gobert was named the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year for the second season in a row.[61]

Gobert was named the French Player of the Year for 2019.[62][63]

Through his first 45 games in the 2019–20 season, Gobert averaged 15.7 points and 14.6 rebounds per game[64] and had become an anchor for the Jazz on offense as well as defense.[65] On January 30, 2020, Gobert, alongside teammate Donovan Mitchell, was named a Western Conference reserve for the 2020 NBA All-Star Game.[66]

On March 11, 2020, a game between the Utah Jazz and the Oklahoma City Thunder was postponed right before tip-off after Gobert was placed on the injury list due to illness. He was taken to a local hospital and tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. The NBA then suspended the 2019–20 season indefinitely. Just two days earlier, Gobert had facetiously touched every microphone and recorder at a press conference concerning the Utah Jazz's response to the virus.[67] 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.[68][69] On March 27, he was cleared of the coronavirus.[70] In April, it was reported that his relationship with teammate Donovan Mitchell had soured following his careless behavior when infected with COVID-19 and Gobert admitted the two did not speak for some time after.[71] Gobert has donated $500,000 to help people affected by COVID-19 including part-time employees and COVID-related services.[72]

On December 20, 2020, Gobert signed a five-year, $205 million contract extension with the Jazz. Gobert's extension was the third largest contract in NBA history, and the largest ever for a center.[73][74][75]