Rudy Gobert threw a punch at his Minnesota Timberwolves teammate Kyle Anderson during the team’s 113-108 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday. The incident occurred during a timeout in the second quarter of the game. At halftime, the team announced that Gobert was sent home.
In a video from the timeout, Gobert and Anderson could be seen having a heat exchange of words before the 7′1″ Gobert moved in and threw a fist at Anderson. “We made the decision to send Rudy Gobert home after the incident in the second quarter,” Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly said in a statement. “His behavior on the bench was unacceptable and we will continue handling the situation internally.”
Rudy Gobert & Kyle Anderson
“I think tempers just flared,” Anderson said after the game. “That’s all.” He added that the two won’t have any problems going forward and are just serious about wanting to win. “We want to win games. It is what it is. It ain’t the first time someone has swung on me,” he said. Mike Conley added that Gobert already had sent a text message to the team apologizing for his behavior. Warriors star Draymond Green trolled Gobert on Twitter after the game. “Insecurity is always loud…,” Green wrote, echoing a tweet Gobert posted in 2022.
The Timberwolves are set to take on the Los Angeles Lakers in a play-in game for the playoffs. The winner will face the No. 2 seed Memphis Grizzlies in the first round of the playoffs. The loser will compete in a second play-in matchup with the winner of the New Orleans Pelicans and the Oklahoma City Thunder matchup. The team to advance from that game will take on the top seeded Denver Nuggets. Check out Gobert and Anderson’s heated interaction on Twitter below.
Rudy Gobert Punches Kyle Anderson
[Via]