Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert has always had a soft spot for the 1988 classic Coming to America, a film starring the charismatic Eddie Murphy, though his mother had others in mind for him to watch.
Gobert's father, Rudy Bourgarel, had a small “don't blink” type cameo in the film during the movie's scene when Prince Akeem came along with sister Patrice, Lisa and Darryl in a ball night double-date extravaganza.
“It’s a fun movie. It’s a classic. I always like Eddie Murphy movies,” Gobert told Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated. “My mom showed it to me when I was a kid and I was like, ‘Oh.’ That was fun seeing him. She was so proud.”
Bourgarel played at Marist College from 1985-88, the backup of former Indiana Pacers center Rik Smits. During his senior season in 1987-88, Bourgarel averaged 10.7 points, and 6.8 rebounds, numbers that were dwarfed by the 24.7 points and 8.7 rebounds Smits brought to the table at a towering 7-foot-4.
A late-year performance of Marist going down to St. John's was immortalized in the movie, thing he did not know until the world witnessed Prince Akeem attend his first basketball game in movie theaters.
“He knew about it when the movie came out, but he didn’t know that night they were shooting it,” Gobert said.
Gobert would go on to take on his father (a 7-footer on his own right) and his pedigree, becoming a force in the paint and turning shots away from those who dare challenge him at the rim.
“He was a tough guy. Strong. A little wild,” said Makhtar N’Diaye, a former NBA player-turned-scout for the New York Knicks. “When you see Gobert, you can see a little bit of his dad in him. He could’ve easily been the first [French-born] NBA player. Back then, NBA teams didn’t put much value into blocking shots and rebounding. They didn’t think European guys were strong. They thought they were soft.
“Bourgarel was the opposite of that. If yesterday were today, he probably would have made the NBA.”
“The Steiffel Tower” is one of the frontrunners for Defensive Player of the Year this season, and presents a strong case by leading the league in blocks with 2.6 per game. The French international will have a run for his money this weekend, taking on their recent rivals, the L.A. Clippers in a first-round best-of-seven series, starting with Saturday's Game 1 at Staples Center.
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