Reports: Rudy Gobert receives one-game suspension after altercation with teammate
Former Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert will miss the Minnesota Timberwolves’ play-in game Tuesday against the Los Angeles Lakers as he serves a one-game suspension for getting into an altercation with a teammate on Sunday, according to multiple reports.
Gobert is not traveling with his team to L.A., but is expected to be able to return to action after Tuesday’s game, ESPN senior NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski reported Monday, citing league sources.
Gobert will serve a one-game suspension and is expected to return if the Wolves lose to the Lakers and play another play-in game, or advance into the Western Conference playoffs, sources said. https://t.co/JMSdwm7P2o
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 10, 2023
On Sunday, Gobert was sent home from the Timberwolves’ regular season finale after he swung at teammate Kyle Anderson during a timeout.
The incident occurred during the second quarter of the Timberwolves’ game against the New Orleans Pelicans in Minnesota, a contest that had playoff implications between the two teams.
Video of the incident showed Gobert and Anderson arguing, and then Gobert reached over numerous teammates to hit Anderson.
That led to Timberwolves forward Taurean Prince pushing Gobert, and a brief dust-up occurred as the situation got cleared up.
Kyle Anderson and Rudy Gobert had to be held back after Gobert swung at Anderson in HEATED exchange 😳 pic.twitter.com/jvB9xawHNn
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 9, 2023
The Athletic’s Shams Charania first reported that Minnesota sent Gobert home after the incident, and according to multiple outlets, president of basketball operations Tim Connelly released a statement which read, “We made the decision to send Rudy Gobert home after the incident in the second quarter. His behavior on the bench was unacceptable and we will continue handling the situation internally.”
Later, Charania reported that Gobert and Anderson had a “heated verbal exchange” in the locker room at halftime, which is what prompted the organization to send Gobert home.
Charania reported that Mike Conley, Gobert’s Jazz teammate for a few years before getting traded to Minnesota this season, “served as a vital factor in calming down the halftime locker room.”
A short time after Charania’s reporting of the halftime details, Gobert posted an apology for the incident on Twitter.
“Emotions got the best of me today,” Gobert wrote. “I should not have reacted the way i did regardless of what was said. I wanna apologize to the fans, the organisation and particularly to Kyle, who is someone that i truly love and respect as a teammate.”
Emotions got the best of me today. I should not have reacted the way i did regardless of what was said. I wanna apologize to the fans, the organisation and particularly to Kyle, who is someone that i truly love and respect as a teammate.
— Rudy Gobert (@rudygobert27) April 10, 2023
The Jazz traded Gobert to the Timberwolves last summer for a huge haul, but this season has largely been a disappointment for Minnesota.
It finished the regular season with a 42-40 record after beating the Pelicans on Sunday, and will face the Los Angeles Lakers Tuesday in the NBA Play-In Tournament.
The Lakers are the 7-seed in the Western Conference and the Timberwolves are the 8-seed. The winner of Tuesday’s game will get the 7-seed in the first round of the playoffs, while the loser will have to play an additional game against the winner of the 9-10 matchup against the Pelicans and Oklahoma City Thunder.
The winner of that game will receive the 8-seed, and the loser will miss the playoffs.
Jace Frederick of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported that Minnesota head coach Chris Finch said after the game that the decision on Gobert’s availability for Tuesday’s game “will be handled internally” and that the Frenchman’s behavior is “certainly not something we condone.”
The Jazz will receive Minnesota’s first-round draft pick this year as part of the Gobert trade.
