Around this time a year ago, Rudy Gobert made headlines when he became the first player in the NBA to test positive for COVID-19. With the one-year anniversary of Gobert's situation with the Utah Jazz coming up, the French big man shared his reaction about the incident that eventually led to the league's hiatus.
Rudy Gobert on approaching the March 11 anniversary of being diagnosed with COVID-19.
"When you go through some tough times. I think those tough times make you grow."
— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) March 1, 2021
During the 2019-20 season, the COVID-19 pandemic became known around the time of March. Despite the severity of the pandemic, Gobert was reportedly poking fun at the virus, coughing on microphones in postgame conferences and touching the items of his Jazz teammates.
While Rudy Gobert failed to take the pandemic seriously at first, he was discovered to have tested positive for COVID-19, prompting the NBA to pause the season. What made the situation even worse is that Donovan Mitchell also tested positive, causing tension within the locker room for the Jazz.
Since that moment, Gobert has learned from his mistakes, and he has refurbished his relationship with his teammates. Above all, Utah currently holds the best record in the NBA at 27-7 entering Monday's game versus the New Orleans Pelicans.
Gobert himself is having a productive year for the Jazz, tallying 14.0 points, 13.4 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. The Stifle Tower is also recording a career-best 2.7 blocks per game while shooting an impressive 64.7 percent from the field.
Nearly a year ago, there were rumblings that Gobert could be traded from the Jazz due to his actions amid the pandemic. Fast forward to now and the veteran center has grown from his shortcomings, helping Utah become a powerhouse in the Western Conference.
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