Rudy Gobert is one of the most polarizing players in the NBA. On the defensive side of the ball, many regard him as a legitimate game-changer.

That said – a lot of his peers don’t respect him.

This has been a recurring theme for Gobert, who has received hate from the likes of Draymond Green and Shaquille O’Neal ever since he signed his five-year, $200 million contract.

This week, Gobert addressed why so many guys around the league seem to be jealous of him.

“In their eyes, I’m more like the odd guy from France that’s winning a lot of awards, and it can bother people,” he told Tim MacMahon of ESPN.

“I impact the games in a very unique way. It’s maybe not as cool or not as flashy as some other guys, so it’s sometimes harder for them to respect that. I just think I’m just mostly misunderstood. I think I trigger a lot of these guys.”

 

That said, not every big name in the NBA dislikes Gobert.

Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant actually had a lot of praise for him this week.

“Rudy’s gotten (much) better at guarding perimeters, guarding posts, guarding the rim,” Durant said this week.

“So you can’t just throw ‘em in actions expecting them to just give in. I think we’ll be strategic with what we do and make the ball move, get stops, and go out and run as well. We’ve gotta be cautious of putting guys in actions and realizing they still have an all-world, Hall of Fame defensive player and guys around him that can guard the perimeter too.”

It will be interesting to see where Gobert goes from here. Will 2024 mark the year he really shuts all his haters up and captures an NBA championship? Time will tell.