Utah Jazz Center and 2x NBA Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert is due for a new contract this year, a contract that could’ve earned him $247 million over 5 years according to Forbes.
Gobert has been a monster defender for the Utah Jazz averaging 2 blocks per game behind a 15 point 13 rebound average. But given his antics and being dubbed the source of the coronavirus outbreak in the NBA, did Gobert squander $200 million?
Rudy Gobert was the first NBA player who tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus, and social media users and reporters pointed back to two days prior when Gobert jokingly touched every microphone at a post-game presser. Gobert also reportedly touched team equipment purposely as a joke.
Just one day after Gobert tested positive, teammate Donovan Mitchell also tested positive for the viral outbreak. Gobert’s diagnosis quickly prompted the NBA to shut down basketball operations for the foreseeable future, and social media has given Gobert the title of the source of NBA fan’s misery.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Jazz’s relationship with Gobert has become frustrating. “The Jazz are fortunate that they don’t have to get back together and start playing games again right now. There is a lot of work to do to repair relationships,” Woj said on ESPN’s Sportscenter.
On the court, it’s arguable that Gobert is deserving of a supermax deal with Utah, but the stir he caused throughout the league seems to be a huge red flag in the Jazz front office.
It would be understandably difficult to give a box office raise to the player who arguably single-handedly shut down the NBA.
