Rudy Gobert shared the story of "losing zin" in the middle of the basketball court
Center striker Rudy Gobert received the NBA's best defensive player award three times, three times in the All-Star team thanks to his ability to defend the basket. But over the past week, Gobert has discovered another side to the gameplay.
In a friendly match against Montenegro before the FIBA World Cup, the French striker successfully made the first 3-point throw in his career.
"It feels like I just lost my virginity," Rudy Gobert said humorously after the throw. "This is a skill I've practiced a lot, even years."
"When my confidence peaked, I was ready to take action in an official match. My teammates believed in me, so did the coach. And now I am even more confident that I am fully capable of bringing back the points from the back. 3" throw line.
"I will gradually get used to these throws. The fans too. Most of them don't see the effort on the training ground, so they are surprised."
In 10 years playing in the NBA, Gobert launched a total of 14 long throws. At EuroBasket last year, he also used 3 times from outside the 3-point line. All are off target.
The waiting time ended after the 80-69 victory of the continental team. Gobert scored 16 points, scored 6-9, 9 rebounds, 2 blocks and 2 assists.
"It was a game where we learned a lot of weaknesses that needed to be fixed. I really liked the intensity and aggressiveness of the way the team entered. They will continue to improve themselves ahead of the tournament." 31-year-old center shared.
The big man of the French team is aiming to lead the home team to the world championship, after having won a silver medal at the recent Tokyo Olympics.
"I really like the atmosphere right now," Gobert told L'Equipe. "We're going to the FIBA World Cup, which is longer than the Olympics. We want to keep improving every day towards the never-before-seen gold medal."
This is Rudy Gobert's fourth time attending the FIBA World Cup. Besides the Olympic silver medal, he also won the EuroBasket 2022 title last September with the national team.
