By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Rudy Gobert talked to Olympics.com about France entering the basketball tournament of this summer’s Olympic Games. The Utah Jazz center also discussed his team potentially competing in an NBA Finals Game 7 scheduled to be held one day before the Tokyo 2020 Opening Ceremony on July 23. The basketball tournament will start on July 24.
“Straight after the game, I’ll get on the plane with the NBA trophy in my hand. No, no, we’ll see,” he said jokingly, “I may miss the Opening Ceremony but the most important thing is that I’m ready for the team. For now, my focus is on the NBA, and then it will be Olympic gold.”
France is in Group A alongside the United States and Iran. The winner of the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Victoria, Canada, will complete the group. Host Canada, China, Czech Republic, Greece, Turkey, and Uruguay will compete for that spot from Jun 29 to July 4.
“I’m afraid of nobody and my team is afraid of nobody. I never feared anyone, and it won’t change today,” he mentioned referring to the meeting with the USA, “The harder the challenge is, the more motivated I am. And I think it’s the same for my teammates. We hope they have the best team possible, but we know that other teams are strong also. It will be up to us to play our best basketball. As simple as that.”
The Olympics will follow the 2021 NBA Playoffs for Gobert. The Jazz, as the top team of the Regular Season, will collide with the Golden State Warriors or the Memphis Grizzlies in the first-round best-of-seven series.
“The most important thing is to not spread yourself too thin,” he said, “Of course, the NBA title is a dream – particularly this year. We know that the finals end in July and there won’t be a long break before the Opening Ceremony. I’m focusing on the season and when it’s finished I’ll look at the Games. If we reach the conference final we know things will be tight, but we’ll do everything we can to find the best solution we can.”
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