A teary-eyed Rudy Gobert told reporters in Salt Lake City that he felt “disrespected” by not being selected to the NBA All-Star Game.
Gobert, 26, says defense isn’t properly recognized among the League’s elite players.
Rudy Gobert on not being selected for All-Star game: “I feel disrespected.” pic.twitter.com/T65zARb5d4
— Eric Woodyard (@E_Woodyard) February 1, 2019
Rudy Gobert gets emotional during this morning's shootaround while taking questions about being snubbed for the #NBAAllStar team. The video starts with him discussing a phone call from his mother during a "rough night". #teamiseverything #utahjazz #nba pic.twitter.com/7DwOpoqHys
— Jeremiah Jensen (@JJSportsBeat) February 1, 2019
Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala and Isaiah Thomas were among those who publicly mocked the Utah Jazz center for his emotional reaction to the snub.
Per The Deseret-News:
“Obviously we all know how the league works, the direction the league is heading to,” he said. “I thought there was a chance I might not make it, but just surprised. I think it’s disrespectful. I feel disrespected. Disrespectful not only towards me but towards the team, towards the organization and towards the game.”
On disrespect toward the game, Gobert, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, feels as though the coaches not selecting him as a reserve sends a poor message about the importance of defense.
“All the coaches preach about defense,” he said. “Every day they talk about defense, they talk about how the priority is to get stops in order to win basketball games. When it’s time to vote, they’re not able to reward the best defensive player in the world.”
