Rudy Gobert seemed like a lock for the NBA All-Star Game, but instead he was a glaring snub — and it really affected the reigning Defensive Player of the Year.
Rudy grew increasingly emotional speaking with the media about his All-Star snub. Said his mom called him crying. Said he wrote and deleted several messages on social media. Finally, he grew too emotional to speak, and walked off, wiping away tears. pic.twitter.com/UkFX2nUrt8
— Eric Walden (@tribjazz) February 1, 2019
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An ESPN report from the night before said "the Jazz fully expected Rudy Gobert to receive his first All-Star selection," so it's easy to see why Gobert got emotional. He was ready to be honored and rewarded for his hard work, but instead he felt slighted.
Even if he makes it in as a replacement, Gobert said he'd accept, but "it still wouldn’t be the same." (Gobert loses a $1 million bonus for not being selected as an All-Star reserve and can't earn the bonus as an injury replacement, so that won't make him feel any better.)
Jazz general manager Dennis Lindsey was also upset by the snub.
"Flabbergasted, disappointed, disgusted, I guess would be some adjectives to describe our collective mood," Lindsey said. "We’re not very happy with the coaches’ vote. Ownership, [team president] Steve Starks, [head coach] Quin Snyder, myself — there’s no way to put into words our disappointment."
After the video of Gobert getting emotional gained traction on social media, other NBA stars took notice — especially Warriors players Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala, who mocked Gobert for crying.
I guess I should cry too... no Charlotte? 😢😢😢
— Draymond Green (@Money23Green) February 1, 2019
He gone cry in the car?
— Danielson... (@andre) February 1, 2019
Iguodala's tweet is a reference to the movie "Friday."
Nuggets guard Isaiah Thomas later joined in, questioning Gobert's emotions.
Come on fam you are too big to be crying like that...
— Isaiah Thomas (@isaiahthomas) February 1, 2019
Gobert was a first-round pick in 2013, and he has really come on strong in recent years. He's made NBA All-Defensive First Team in 2017 and 2018, but still has no All-Star selections to his name.
As Sporting News' Sean Deveney wrote, "Gobert came back this year a vastly improved player. He has become a much smarter and more patient post player, averaging 2.2 assists, nearly doubling his previous career average (1.2). He is scoring a career-high 15.0 points and leading the league with 65.0 percent shooting. He’s tweaked the way he defends, too, getting more comfortable stepping out to the perimeter to guard 3-point shooting big men."
Big men who made it in over Gobert include Anthony Davis, Nikola Jokic, LaMarcus Aldridge and Karl-Anthony Towns.
UPDATE: Gobert was asked Friday about the criticism. As part of his response, he tweaked Green for an old social media blunder:
Rudy Gobert: "Draymond, did he tweet? What did he tweet? As long as he doesn't post anything on Snapchat, we're good." 😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/I6Q8En4LxF
— Chris Kirschner (@ChrisKirschner) February 2, 2019
Green sent out a snap of his private parts on Snapchat in 2016.
