06 August 2023 , 19:25
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NBA star Rudy Gobert used a rather bizarre analogy after scoring the first three-pointer in his career.
The 31-year-old is currently with France preparing for the FIBA World Cup. The tournament takes place later this month and will be staged in Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines.
Gobert has been playing in the NBA for the past 10 seasons after being drafted with the No.27 pick by the Denver Nuggets in 2013, before being traded to the Utah Jazz on the same night. He spent nine years in Utah before moving to the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2022.
Now Gobert is preparing to represent his country at the forthcoming World Cup. To get ready, France played an exhibition game against Montenegro on Wednesday.
The French squad won 80-69, with Gobert scoring 16 points and nine rebounds. One moment for Gobert during that game, though, certainly stood out.
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Gobert received the ball just beyond the arc and proceeded to nail a three-pointer. The bucket was the first time that Gobert has hit from downtown in his professional basketball career.
He was quoted afterward using a rather bizarre analogy to describe his emotions after scoring the bucket. Equipe de France de Basket, France basketball’s official Twitter account, posted a photo of Gobert with a quote from the centre. The translation reads: “Tonight, I feel like I lost my virginity.”
Prior to scoring the three-pointer, Gobert had only ever attempted two throws from behind the arc in his entire 10-year NBA career. One came in the 2020-21 season, which he missed, while the other came the following year, which was also wayward.
Rudy Gobert scored his first ever three-pointer while playing for France on Wednesday (Catherine Steenkeste/Getty Images)Gobert is also quoted telling about his three-pointer: “It’s something I work on a lot. Every year, with work, my confidence increases.
“I got to the level where I know I can take threes in games. I just have to take them. My teammates trust me. I will continue to take them.
“Most fans don’t know what’s going on outside of games. Inevitably, they may be surprised that the players are working on things that they don’t do on the court. But before showing it on the court, you have to work on it”.
France is in Group H for the FIBA World Cup that begins this month. Gobert will be looking to help his team progress through the competition, which includes group-stage games against opponents Canada, Lebanon and Latvia.