Rudy Gobert turned himself into a convenient scapegoat back in March when he was diagnosed with the Coronavirus. In the lead up to his diagnosis, Gobert was dismissive of the virus and was seen touching microphones and personal belongings of his peers, as a joke. This eventually led to a positive test for teammate Donovan Mitchell, who was reportedly beyond livid with Gobert's recklessness.
Due to his original antics, Gobert has been blamed for the temporary pause of the NBA season, with some fans going above and beyond by threatening him and hitting him with uncalled for insults. During a recent conference call, Gobert spoke about the backlash and went in-depth on what it's all been like.
Alex Goodlett/Getty Images
"Obviously, when you have the whole world judging you or threatening you or sending you a lot of negative energy and stuff like that, it’s something that I would say is not easy as a human being,” Gobert said per ESPN. “But, at the same time, people are just judging you on the perception they have and the perception you get from sometimes it can be one picture, one video or one interview, one action. So, people don’t really know you."
It certainly hasn't been easy for the star but he seems to be embracing any challenges that come his way. Not to mention, moving forward, the Jazz are a dark horse in the Western Conference, and Gobert is a big part of their upcoming playoff push.