By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
Rudy Gobert, who hoped to make Utah home for his entire NBA career, eagerly anticipates returning to Vivint Arena for the first time as a member of the visiting team when his Minnesota Timberwolves play the Jazz on Friday night.
“There’s probably going to be a lot of emotions, but I just want to enjoy the moment and get a win,” Gobert told ESPN as he drove to the airport for the Timberwolves‘ flight to Salt Lake City. “I spent nine years of my life there and created a lot of memories, have a lot of very powerful relationships with people that I love and gave me a lot of love over the years. It’s going to be weird to walk into the arena and go to the visitor’s locker room, but it’s going to be a lot of love and joy to come back.”
Gobert developed from a skinny project who was the No. 27 overall pick in 2013 into a three-time Defensive Player of the Year and four-time All-NBA selection during his tenure with the Jazz. Utah made the playoffs the past six seasons — and had the NBA’s best regular-season record in 2020-21 — but the Jazz never advanced to the conference finals.
New Utah CEO Danny Ainge opted to close that chapter in Jazz history, which he made clear by trading Gobert to Minnesota in a blockbuster deal that sent key contributors Malik Beasley, Jarred Vanderbilt, and rookie Walker Kessler, as well as four future first-round, picks to Utah. Gobert has no hard feelings about the way his tenure with the Jazz ended.
“Spending nine years there is obviously something that I’ll never forget, but at the same time, you’ve always got to be aware that it’s a business,” said Gobert, whose Rudy’s Kids Foundation remains active in Utah, as well as in his native France and now Minnesota. “That’s the way I see it. My dream was always to bring a championship to Utah. Some people didn’t believe that could happen, and it’s fair. It’s totally fair. It’s part of their job to do what they think is best for the team. Now, I’m in another place, but it doesn’t change the human side of it. When I say that, I think it’s bigger than just basketball. I gave my soul to this team, this city, this organization, my blood, sweat and tears, [and] there are some things that go beyond the business of basketball. That’s why I [thought] we’d be here forever. Now, I’m in a new place with the opportunity to accomplish great things, and I’m always going to be grateful for those nine years in Utah.”
The Jazz, who traded All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell to the Cleveland Cavaliers and starting forward Bojan Bogdanovic to the Detroit Pistons later this past summer, have been one of the NBA’s most pleasant surprises. It was anticipated that Utah would be a lottery team in the first year of a rebuild, but the Jazz are sixth in the Western Conference standings with a 15-12 record.