Timberwolves Star Rudy Gobert Throws Punch at Teammate Mid-Game, Earns Suspension

Rudy Gobert has been suspended by the Minnesota Timberwolves after throwing a punch at his teammate during a game against the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday night, according to Sham Charania of The Athletic. The incident occurred during a timeout when the Timberwolves were on the bench in the second quarter. Gobert and Kyle Anderson got into a heated argument on the sidelines, and it escalated into Gobert throwing a punch at Anderson’s chest after Anderson called him a b— several times, according to ESPN. Gobert was escorted back to the team’s locker room and didn’t return to the game. 

Minnesota won Sunday’s game and finish the season with a 42-40 record. They clinched the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference, which means the team will face the No. 7 seed Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Play-In Tournament on Tuesday. Gobert will not play in the game due to his suspension but will return for either the next play-in game or the first round of the playoffs depending on the outcome of Tuesday’s contest.

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Following the incident, Gobert went to Twitter to apologize for his actions. “Emotions got the best of me today,” Gobert wrote. “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.” According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Gobert sent an apology text to his teammates. 

When reporters asked Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch about the altercation, he said (per PEOPLE) that the team is “not proud of that behavior by anybody” after the game. He added, “We really haven’t dug too far into the root cause of it. But guys were frustrated.”

Chris Hine of the Minnesota Star Tribune spoke to Gobert about Anderson’s leadership skills before the incident. “Kyle wants to win, and sometimes he’s a little aggressive in the way he talks, but I don’t take it personally,” the NBA star said. “…I love his competitiveness, love the way he plays the game. The way he makes others around him better. He’s been a huge part of this year.”