It’s been a tough start for Rudy Gobert in a Minnesota Timberwolves uniform. In many ways, he was set up to be highly scrutinized for his entire tenure in Minnesota. The most obvious of reasons was that the Wolves mortgaged almost every first-round draft pick they could over the next seven years to bring him to Minneapolis. That’s a lot of pressure. Everyone and their mother has considered the draft equity that the Wolves gave up for Rudy. But, from a fan perspective, those picks don’t really matter. What the fans have witnessed this season is a lack of spirit that was palpable last season.
The 2021-22 Timberwolves were a Cinderella story fueled by some unlikely heroes playing a huge part. Patrick Beverley, Jarred Vanderbilt, and yes, even Malik Beasley endeared themselves to the fanbase. They played with energy and passion, and it felt like their relentless motor was vital to Minnesota’s run to the postseason. Now the Wolves have traded three players for whom fans loved to cheer in exchange for one player who is yet to really ingratiate himself to the home crowd.
So far, the results have been underwhelming, and there seems to be a growing dissatisfaction with the offseason moves among the fanbase. Making PR mistakes won’t help Gobert’s cause. Most recently, the scuttlebutt has been about an Elon Musk tweet that he liked.
I don’t think that liking a tweet is necessarily an endorsement of the tweet. Nor do I think that scrutinizing every liked tweet is a fair standard to hold people to. But Gobert, in particular, has to move smarter than this. In 2020, Gobert’s microphone moment was a massive story. For many, he is the first person of note to be diagnosed with COVID-19, and it happened shortly after he mocked the virus by touching every microphone in the media room.
He didn’t ask to be the poster child for COVID-19, but he lives his life in the public eye and is subject to public perception based on his actions. Gobert gave a thoughtful apology after his diagnosis, calling his actions “careless” and calling for people to “take this seriously.” Liking the Elon tweet doesn’t tell us that he doesn’t take COVID-19 seriously, but it does signal a lack of trust for those who have worked hard to help save lives during the pandemic.
The tweet is also an insensitive joke about the use of gender pronouns. I don’t think that jokes about pronouns are totally outside the lines of appropriate, but there is context to every joke. Hell, I’ve got a pronoun joke in my Twitter bio as I refer to myself as “He/him/Mr. Applehead.” The difference here is that Musk has demonstrated a clear lack of respect, with some even calling it disdain, for the use of gender pronouns. His obstinate view toward the trans community and their insistence on proper use of gender pronouns is a clear signifier of a deep disrespect of trans individuals. If he can’t respect something simple like using the correct pronoun for a person, then how could he actually respect and value trans people? I’ll tell you the answer: He can’t.
So, liking this tweet is loaded from multiple perspectives. Whether or not you think that liking a tweet warrants an apology, the fact remains that there are people who were disappointed to see it. Chris Hine of the Star Tribune sat down with Rudy to hear his perspective. In the interview he gave this apology:
“Regardless of the different opinions that people have, my intent is never to direct any type of hate towards any group,” he said. “I’ve always moved with love, and people that know me know that I might be a bit goofy sometimes, and my intent always comes from a good place. Sorry if I hurt anyone.”
In my non-basketball writing life, I work as a behavior resource at an elementary school. Much of my job consists of meeting kids where they are at emotionally. Oftentimes, I am called to help students and staff members reconcile with each other after a difficult situation. When I talk to my students, I always try to focus on how they can work to fix it. Fixing it can look like a lot of different things. But the most important component to any fix is for everyone involved in the situation to take accountability for their part.
I don’t really think that Gobert really took full accountability here. “Sorry if I hurt anyone” is a weak and disingenuous form of apology. Rudy must know that many fans feel hurt by his actions. There is no “if” because people have been very clear about their dissatisfaction on Twitter. I know he is acutely aware of this because he went on a blocking spree — on brand for the three-time defensive player of the year — on Twitter of folks who were challenging his actions.
Rudy asserts that he “move[s] with love” while simultaneously lacking the compassion to fully admit the hurt that he caused. Taking accountability for his actions requires more than just an apology as well. With every apology must come a change in behavior to reflect said apology.
At the end of the day, public perception matters for NBA players. The halcyon days of Ricky Rubio were never filled with great success, but there was camaraderie surrounding the team and the unlikely hero that Ricky was. He was electric on the court and charming off of it. His impact on the team still permeates through the fan culture. “Change your face” is still an important piece of Timberwolves lore, and fans of all ages connect to it.
Appealing to the fanbase has real financial implications for the franchise as well as the players. Filling the stands, boosting ratings, and selling merchandise are important to the short- and long-term success of NBA franchises. Beyond the overarching business incentives for players and teams to be likable, the nightly interactions that players have with fans are also pertinent. Gobert has previously complained about the fans booing. I guarantee that if the team was as likable as the Rubio Wolves or last season’s ragtag team, then the chance of the fans booing in the stands is lower. When the team underperforms, having the fanbase behind the franchise can serve as a huge boon for the players.
No, Rudy doesn’t owe anything to the fans. He’s put together an All-NBA career on the merits of his work and success on the basketball court. But endearing fans has lasting effects on individual legacy and game-to-game vibe. We’ve all lived through the doldrums of watching a crappy basketball team take the court nightly. The malaise of bad basketball has been quelled, at least in part, by the likability of the team itself.
