By Antigoni Zachari / info@eurohoops.net
Rudy Gobert has agreed to a five-year, $205M extension with the Utah Jazz, as it was reported by ESPN’s Tim McMahon on Sunday.
28-year-old Gobert had turned down Jazz‘s previous extension offer, aiming for the supermax and signed the third-biggest contract in NBA history and the biggest contract ever for a big man, as it has been pointed out by ESPN’s Bobby Marks.
The French big man is the second European on the list, behind Giannis Antetokounmpo who recently penned his $228M supermax extension with the Milwaukee Bucks, while Russell Westbrook’s 2017 extension with the Oklahoma City Thunder ranks second. That contract makes Gobert the highest paid French athlete ever.
As a two-time (2018, 2019) Defensive Player of the Year plus a member of All-NBA teams in 2019 and 2020, Gobert is entering his eighth season in the NBA, all with the Jazz.
Gobert released the following statement on his social after the announcement of his lucrative deal:
“Dear Utah,
I don’t say a lot. I don’t show my feelings a lot. And sometimes my accent gets in the way of exactly what I want to say, but it’s important to me to share a few thoughts with the people that have been behind me ever since I landed here from France.
First, today’s a special day for me and my family.
I came to Utah when I was 21 years old, from a small blue-collar town, Saint-Quentin. I did not come to the US with much, but I did come with the values that my mom instilled within my siblings and I. They are simple, but these values have guided me my whole life. 1) always be true to yourself, 2) respect and be good to others, no matter their job, their status, or their differences, 3) and with hard work, you can achieve anything. I have always been treated with the same value as soon as I got here, and those were the reasons why I made Utah my home.
I have grown as a player, but most importantly, I have grown as a man over the last seven years. you have seen me through the good times, you have also seen me through struggles and mistakes and you have been patient while watching this French kid grow. Throughout, you have always supported me and taken me in as one of your own. for that, I have always been grateful and it’s why my family and I are proud to continue to make this our home.
So for the guy that doesn’t say too much, I will end by saying thank you, I’m here to stay and I’m here to win a championship. I’m here to win with my brothers, I’m sure to win with Coach Q, and I’m here doing with you, Utah. let’s get it
Merci.”
