This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Whether on the basketball court or in social media, Rudy Gobert is someone who wears his emotions on his sleeve.
It's a part of who he is and truthfully, it's part of what makes him a very good basketball player. Gobert is someone who consistently plays with a chip on his shoulder. And when it comes to the Utah Jazz, he sticks out, because most of his teammates are on the quiet side.
All of this is to say Gobert simply doesn't mince words for many people, if for anyone. Yesterday, playing for his home country France in Eurobasket, Gobert and Pau Gasol (and Spain) went at it. The Spaniards ended up winning, and winning an automatic qualifier into the Olympics next summer. Gasol — the Chicago Bulls center — ended up with 40 points, probably the best game of his international career.
Gobert ended up heated. Following the loss, Gobert tweeted: "Hard to play when somebody can touch you but you can't touch him! Tough loss it is painful to lose this way but we will bounce back!!"
Obviously, Gobert wasn't happy with the officiating, (Gasol shot 18 free-throws). His tweet touched a few nerves, most notably Ricky Rubio, a Spanish player and the starting point guard for the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Rubio retweeted Gobert, adding: "No class" to the Gobert's original post. Obviously, this bears watching during the NBA season. The Jazz and the Wolves play each other four times, so that will be fun.
Gobert and Gasol truly went at it on Friday. Gasol was obviously the star, but Gobert made important defensive plays, as he normally does, blocking a shot to send the game into overtime among other things.
— Tony Jones
Twitter: @tjonessltrib