Minnesota Timberwolves big man Rudy Gobert is fiercely protective of his private life, but in a rare moment of letting his guard down, he has revealed one of his earliest memories of dealing with racism.
The transparent moment was penned in the personal essay “What You See in the Dark” for The Players’ Tribune ahead of the first round of the NBA playoffs.
The France native detailed how he faced a flood of memories — those that are beautiful and those deemed ugly — after spending 64 hours at a darkness retreat in Southern Oregon following the end of the 2022–2023 NBA season. Among his recollections were sacrifices his mother, Corrine Gobert, made to protect the youngest of her three children.
“Before I was even conscious, when I was just a child coming into the world in Northern France, some people didn’t want me around because of who I am. And not just people. My ownpeople. Very close family, actually,” wrote Rudy. He recalled that his relatives said things like, “‘We don’t want that baby in our house.’”
He continued, “It’s a painful memory, but one that I need to share. You see, every year, my mom’s side of the family had this big Christmas dinner at a certain person’s house. My mom is white. My dad is Black. He’s from Guadeloupe, and he was playing basketball professionally in France when they met. My mom already had two white children from her previous relationship, and then I came into the world….And for some people, that was a problem.”
The 7’ 1” center’s mother met his father, Rudy Bourgarel, when he was playing for the French National Team.
The international basketball player had dreams of making it to the NBA, though they never came true. The couple split when Rudy was three years old. Corrine was already a mother of two — to a daughter and a son — when she and Bourgarel welcomed their only child together.
idk man this nigga Rudy Gobert making fun of covid and testing positive 3 days later is comedic gold tho https://t.co/bCX72BE8Fy pic.twitter.com/S0V7l54wq9
— ً (@TrizzyRogers) April 8, 2024
“After I was born, certain relatives made it very clear to her that she wasn’t welcome to come to Christmas dinner if she brought me along. She could come on her own. But she couldn’t bring ‘that child.’ She couldn’t bring Rudy,” detailed the championship hopeful.
“She was devastated. And obviously, she spent Christmas with me instead. She told them, ‘If that’s the way you think, then you’re not going to see me anymore. Not at Christmas. Not ever. I don’t want anything to do with you.’”
Across social media, various reactions to the essay can be found. “Rudy gobert’s mom’s family being a bunch of racist sh-theads I hope they don’t try to claim him now that he’s on the verge of being a 4x dpoy. You shouldn’t have to get world class accomplishments to get respect from your racist relatives..” posted a fan.
“The ones who really suffer in these mixed race relationships, are the babies. 31 years later he still hs horrible memories,” declared another person. “Knowing this and he still married a white woman smfh…” read another comment. Gobert is not married, however, his girlfriend, Julia Bonilla, is white. In February, the couple announced they were expecting their first child.
Gobert previously spoke about being treated differently during childhood by his French peers. “I’m mixed. But to the white kids, I was Black,” Rudy told Andscape in 2020. “France, we have a lot of different ethnicities. A lot of Arabians. People mixed with Black. So there are always ignorance. It comes from the parents who don’t educate their kids that there are different colors of people. I was never offended by it.”
The anecdote is about the ways his mother protected him as much as it is about the ionic bond they share, one that helped him forge a path to becoming a professional basketball player.
Gobert was a first-round pick, chosen 27th, in the 2013 NBA draft. Before he was traded to the Timberwolves in 2022, he played for the Utah Jazz for nine years.
