Friday will be the first time that Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert returns to Utah since the blockbuster trade last summer that was the first domino to fall for the Jazz before also moving Donovan Mitchell. Ahead of his first game back in Salt Lake City, Gobert spoke out on how it will be “weird” to play at Vivint Arena as a visitor.
Via Chris Hine of the Star Tribune:
“In this league when a player gets traded, usually people try to only focus on the basketball. But the way I am, things are bigger than just basketball,” Gobert said. “The community, there's relationships. There's a lot of people that always had my back.”
“I just want to enjoy the moment,” Gobert said. “There's a lot of people that I have a lot of love for over there. There's a lot of great memories. … I just want to enjoy the moment and, of course, get a win.”
Rudy Gobert spent nine seasons with the Jazz, solidifying himself as one of the most imposing defensive bigs in the Association. While he failed to win an NBA title, the Frenchman was very well-liked in SLC and served as an important part of their success.
Gobert is still getting used to life in Minnesota and while it'll be odd for him to be in the visitors' locker room for the first time, he just wants to walk away with a win. You can definitely expect Gobert to get a warm welcome come Friday and possibly even a tribute video, too. It'll be a special night.
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