Early Life

Rudy Gobert was born on June 26, 1992, in Saint-Quentin, France, to parents, Rudy Bourgarel and Corinne Gobert and his father is where he gets his French heritage from. But that isn't the sole inheritance. Rudy Bourgarel is a former basketball player who played at Marist College from 1985 to 1988 as a center. His commitments with the French men's national basketball team affected his chances of getting drafted by the NBA in 1989. The outcome "destroyed him," Rudy Jr. reveals. However, it was here, playing in Paris, that Rudy Sr. met Corinne Gobert.

Unfortunately, the family's time as one was short-lived. Three years after Rudy Gobert was born, his parents split. Bourgarel moved to Guadeloupe while Rudy stayed in Saint-Quentin with his mom, facing challenges as a mixed-race kid. Nonetheless, Gobert reveals he "was never offended by it." Instead, he seems to have channeled his focus on basketball when his father called every week, talking and teaching about the hoops.

It was ultimately in 2003 that Rudy Gobert started playing basketball. He initially joined the JSC St-Quentin club before transferring to the Saint-Quentin BB club. In 2007 then, Gobert joined Cholet Basket Training Centre, a club that plays for LNB Pro A. Three years later, he represented France in the FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship and finished as the team's best scorer and rebounder with 9.2 and 9 average respectively. 

Professional Career

Cholet (2011”“2013)

Following his run at the Cholet training center, Rudy Gobert joined the junior team in 2009. A year later, he made the senior team debut, playing just one game to record 6 points, 5 rebounds, and 1 steal against Pau-Lacq-Orthez. In the 2011-12 season, he played 29 games for an average of 4.2 points and made it to 27 games the next campaign -- 2012-13 for an improved 8.4 ppg. Following this, Gobert made his way to the NBA.

 Utah Jazz (2013”“2022)

Rudy Gobert played 6 successful seasons with the Utah Jazz, helping the team and himself grow impressively in defensive ranking. He was the 27th overall pick in the 2013 draft by the Denver Nuggets but was traded to the Utah Jazz the very same night. Entering the league, Gobert had a wingspan of 7'9'' which was registered as unprecedented. His nickname, "The Stifle Tower" thus came to be. He finished his rookie season having played 45 games averaging 2.3 points while also playing 8 games for Bakersfield Jam in the NBA G League. He averaged 13.9 points, 11.4 rebounds, and 0.4 assists. 

Gobert then came to be known as a crucial player in Jazz's defense when he replaced Enes Kanter and went on to lead the team's defense with 98.0. He also improved one of the worst teams in defensive ranking to top the table in 2014, post-break. This was followed by a four-year, $102 million contract extension, that made him the best-paid French athlete, in 2015-16 and then a $205 million 5-year contract --- the biggest for a center.

In the process, Rudy Gobert earned the Defensive Player of the Year thrice, All-Star reserve thrice, and four All-NBA appearances. In 2019-20, He helped the team into the playoffs and proved an only formidable opponent for the likes of Nikola Jokic, dominant on both offense and defense. Averaging 15 points and 13 rebounds per game, Rudy came to be the face of the team while being considered the best screener in the NBA.

Gobert, who had wished to be 'the best big man' in his rookie year, finished his run with the Jazz, leading the league in rebounds and FG% with 14.7 and 71.3% respectively. He also earned his sixth straight NBA All-Defensive First Team spot before being traded off to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Minnesota Timberwolves (2022”“present)

Gobert was traded off to the Minnesota Timberwolves in July 2022 and debuted strong with 23 points and 16 rebounds against the OKC Thunder a few months later. In January 2023, the star center recorded his 9th 20/20 in a game against the LA Clippers with 25 points and 21 rebounds. That was the second one since joining the Timberwolves and last as of May 2025. He led the team to his 7th playoff averaging 13.4 points, and 11.6 rebounds.

The next year, Gobert earned his fourth DOPY title, leading the league with a rating of 104.4 while carrying the Timberwolves positioned No.1. His fourth title ties with Dikembe Mutombo and Ben Wallace for the most in NBA history.

National Team Career

Rudy Gobert represents France on International stages and has been successful in acquiring a few medals but none gold. In 2011, he secured a bronze for the French in the FIBA Europe U-20 Championships after losing to Italy. The next year, France finished second in the FIBA U20 European Championship after falling to Lithuania. 

Then grown as a defensive prowess in the NBA, Rudy Gobert helped the team to a bronze at FIBA Basketball World Cup 2014. It was followed up by another third-place finish the next year at EuroBasket 2015 and the 2019 World Cup. The Olympics in 2021 and the EuroBasket 2022, however, brought along a silver.

Rudy Gobert Stats

Regular Season:

• Games played: 757


• Points per game: 12.7


• Rebounds per game: 11.8


• Assists per game: 2.1

Playoffs Season:

• Games Played: 66


• Points per game: 13.4


• Rebounds per game: 11.2


• Assists per game: 1.6

Best Scoring Seasons

• 2018-19 (Utah): 15.9 ppg, 12.9 rpg, 2.3 bpg


• 2021-22 (Utah): 15.6 ppg, 14.7 rpg, 2.1 bpg


• 2019-20 (Utah): 15.1 ppg, 13.5 rpg, 2.0 bpg

Accolades and Legacy

7X NBA All-Defensive First Team - 2017-2022, 2024

4X Defensive Player of the Year - 2018, 2019, 2021, 2024

4× All-NBA - 2017, 2019-2021

3X NBA All-Star 2020-2022

French Player of the Year - 2019

2022 NBA Rebounding leader - 14.7

2017 NBA blocks leader - 2.6

Records

• Most single-season dunks - 306


• Fourth NBA Player to have 30 consecutive 10+ rebounds


• Most rebounds for the Jazz in a game, with 28


• First French-born to win NBA Defensive Player of the Year


• Third player to win DOPY title four times

Rudy Gobert off the court

Rudy Gobert is reportedly in a relationship with Julia Bonilla, who is also from France. She hosts a podcast called "Journey," while also being an artistic director and agent. The two revealed their relationship only in February 2024, when announcing pregnancy. They welcomed their firstborn, a son on May 6th, when the Wolves were to contest in the 2024 playoffs.

Moreover, Gobert also runs a non-profit organization, Rudy's Kids Foundation, to protect, empower, and improve the lives of kids. The foundation helps out charities whose mission is to ensure that kids have access to opportunities and resources. He also donated $500,000 to help COVID-19-affected people and those working in the services in 2020.

Net Worth and Endorsements

Celebrity Net Worth estimates Rudy Gobert's net worth to be $60 million with an average annual salary of $41 million. This arrives with his 5-year $205,000,002 contract with the Utah Jazz. He further owns an 11,000-square-foot house in Salt Lake City, purchased in 2017 for $3.9 million.

Gobert has endorsed about 7 brands so far in his career. The prominent ones happen to be Nike, Air Max Dominate, Yoplait, and Intenza Fitness, which reportedly bring him a million in earnings.

Social Media

Instagram, Twitter, Facebook