It’s not easy to pull it off as a professional athlete. There are challenges galore. Only the bravest at heart are able to make it to that elusive realm of greatness which has seats, but for a chosen few. It’s even harder when you are an immigrant, as life leaves you with no other option but to battle it out on your own. A classic example is that of the Minnesota Timberwolves basketball star Rudy Gobert. Born in Saint-Quentin, France on June 26, 1992 to Rudy Bourgarel from Guadeloupe who was himself a basketball player in the United States representing the Marist Red Foxes during his college days, and Corrine Gobert, he didn’t have the luxury of a normal childhood experience.

After his parents’ split when he was three and his father decided to leave for his native Guadeloupe, Gobert was raised by his mother as a single parent. In a recent interview on the Players Tribune, he narrated how “that was a problem” for his mother’s relatives as she came from a white family. He was introduced to racism quite early on in his life, even before he had discovered his passionate love for basketball. “After I was born, certain relatives made it very clear to her that she wasn’t welcome to come to Christmas dinner if she brought me along,” Gobert recalled. “She could come on her own. But she couldn’t bring ‘that child.’ She couldn’t bring Rudy.”

Gobert shared that his mother single-handedly brought him up. She cut off all contact with her family after their racist ultimatum. But these hardships only emboldened him further. He developed “an iron belief” that one day he would embark on such a career that the whole world would want to share the stage with him. By the time he was 12, Gobert had developed a passion for basketball, which made him realize that this was the missing spark he needed to ignite for achieving his bigger dream:

“I used to get every magazine I could get my hands on. Remember those posters in the middle of every issue? I’d tear them out and tape them to my bedroom wall. I put up so many of them that after a while you couldn’t even see the walls underneath. It was wall-to-wall NBA posters with my graffiti tags sprayed over them. I would close my eyes and imagine myself on an NBA floor — dunking the ball, guarding legends like Kobe, Tony, Dirk, STAT … this was the place I would go to. In my head, in my room, in France. If you saw a picture of me at that age, you might not believe it. But I believed it with all my heart and soul.”

Now standing tall at 7 feet 1 inches, the three-time All-NBA Team star boasts of an illustrious career with remarkable accolades to his name.

“The better half of us” – who is the French star’s baby’s mama?

Unlike many sports celebrities, Gobert is particularly known to keep his private life discreet and does not reveal too much about his current relationship status. This time, however, he decided to break the ice and took to his Instagram handle in February this year to share the joyous news that he and his girlfriend Julia Bonilla were expecting their first child. The Minnesota Timberwolves center shared his immense happiness with the caption: “Legacy.” Bonilla, equally excited, commented, “The better half of us.” They became parents to a baby boy on May 6, 2024.

The NBA star’s girlfriend Julia Bonilla also hails from France. She is an artistic director who shares her passion through her podcast called ‘Journey‘. In one of her shows, Bonilla shared that as her main job is out of the limelight, her podcast grants her the safe space to introspect on her own take and deep inter-personal reflections on life. This platform offers her the chance to connect to a wider audience and delve into the different aspects of life while offering genuine perspectives.

Her audience loves her for her straightforward and genuine commentary on issues that she holds close to heart, and for curating an “authentic, simple and blessed vibe” during her podcast sessions. “I really wanted to speak without filters,” she said of her podcast and blog in a February 2023 episode. “Talking about the struggles, the good times, the highs and lows to be able to touch the maximum number of people.”

The pair are known to have spent significant time together in Minnesota, suggesting a long-standing relationship even though they kept their private lives out of public knowledge and only revealed it to break the news of their first child. After this revelation, later in March this year, the former Utah Jazz player took a trip to Utah with Bonilla and his teammates for a match. While still there, Gobert reportedly took Bonilla on one of his favorite hikes from the time he used to live in the state.

“My girlfriend is here for the first time, so we showed her the little hike that I used to go to all the time,” he told KSL Sports. “It was hard for her because she’s pregnant, but she really enjoyed it and she knows how much it means to me and how much Utah is a part of me so it was cool.”

Later in April, Bonilla came to Rudy’s rescue and strongly defended him. The Athletic had published their anonymous poll of 142 NBA players who, among other questions, had to answer, “Who’s the league’s most overrated player?” The outlet claimed that 13.6% of players had voted for Gobert for the title. Bonilla’s dejection was shared on Instagram where while firmly standing by Gobert’s side, she wrote that he “deserves all the respect” for his work. “It’s hard for me to stay quiet in front of so much stupidity, disrespect and nonsense,” she wrote. “I am so proud of the person he is — fair, a great teammate, with a good heart and a strong mind. I am proud of you, and our son is proud of you.”

Bonilla is known for her authentic and straightforward take on the issues that concern her. Most of her podcast listeners find her content wholesome and relatable. She has proved her stance of being a supportive and understanding partner whenever Gobert has faced a hard time, both on and off the court. Whatever happens, at the end of the day, the couple has become the favorites of fans worldwide after their first revelation. We wish them a happy parenthood journey ahead!