Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert has been suspended for one game by the team after throwing a punch at teammate Kyle Anderson during a timeout in the second quarter of Sunday’s game against New Orleans. The incident has left the team without one of its key players for the upcoming AT&T Play-In Tournament opener. Details inside…
Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert has been suspended for one game by the team and will miss the team’s AT&T Play-In Tournament opener. The suspension was issued after Rudy threw a punch at teammate Kyle Anderson during a timeout in the second quarter of Sunday’s game against New Orleans.
During the timeout, tensions were boiling between center Rudy and teammate Kyle. The two players engaged in a heated discussion about one of the many sequences that had gone wrong for the Wolves in the first half. Rudy raised his arm toward Kyle and appeared to hit him in the chest with his hand while the team was in a huddle during a timeout.
Coaches and players separated the two and Rudy was escorted to the locker room. Watch their scuffle below:
Kyle Anderson and Rudy Gobert got into a scuffle during a timeout pic.twitter.com/y8X76TbUuJ
— Backcourt Alerts (@BackcourtAlerts) April 9, 2023
“I think tempers just flared,” Kyle said afterward. “That’s all.”
He said he didn’t think the two would have trouble getting along moving forward. “We want to win games. It is what it is. It ain’t the first time someone has swung on me,” he shared.
President of basketball operations Tim Connelly issued a statement confirming the Timberwolves decided to send Rudy home after the second quarter incident. He stated that Rudy’s behavior on the bench was unacceptable and that the team will continue handling the situation internally.
Immediately after the drama, the Timberwolves tweeted that he was OUT of the game:
Rudy Gobert is OUT for the remainder of tonight’s game.
— Timberwolves PR (@Twolves_PR) April 9, 2023
Shortly after, Rudy tweeted an apology, stating, “Emotions got the best of me today. I should not have reacted the way i did regardless of what was said. I wanna apologize to the fans, the organisation and particularly to Kyle, who is someone that i truly love and respect as a teammate.”
Emotions got the best of me today. I should not have reacted the way i did regardless of what was said. I wanna apologize to the fans, the organisation and particularly to Kyle, who is someone that i truly love and respect as a teammate.
— Rudy Gobert (@rudygobert27) April 10, 2023
The Wolves beat the Pelicans 113-108 to finish in eighth place in the Western Conference and draw a play-in tournament matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers by moving ahead of New Orleans in the standings. They were headed to a loss and the lower seed with a lifeless first half.
Rudy’s absence will be felt in the team’s Play-In Tournament opener, but he will be available to play if the Wolves lose to the Lakers or advance to the Western Conference playoffs. It remains to be seen how the incident will impact the team moving forward, but Kyle’s comments suggest that the two will be able to put it behind them and focus on winning games.
In exchange for acquiring Rudy Gobert, the three-time Defensive Player of the Year, Minnesota traded away four first-round picks, one first-round swap, the draft rights to Walker Kessler (a promising Rookie of the Year candidate), as well as four veteran players: Malik Beasley, Patrick Beverley, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Leandro Bolmaro.
Photo: Victor Velter/Shutterstock
