Rudy Gobert was sent home in the middle of the Timberwolves’ final game of the season Sunday when he threw a punch at teammate Kyle Anderson in the middle of a heated exchange. Apparently, the argument was over the two players wanting to see more from each other.
The argument started during a timeout with Anderson telling Gobert to block some shots and continued when Gobert told him to grab a rebound, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. But it escalated when Anderson told Gobert to “shut the f--- up, b----.”
Gobert responded with a punch and both players had to be separated. The team told Gobert to leave and he did just that, missing his squad’s 113–108 win over the Pelicans.
Shams Charania of The Athletic later reported that the altercation persisted in the locker room at halftime, when Anderson reportedly threatened to "knock (Gobert's) a-- out."
Gobert later sent an apologetic text to teammates in a group chat, per Mike Conley. “We'll speak about it and move on,” he said. “We're grown men.”
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 9, 2023
Woj on what happened between Rudy Gobert and Kyle Anderson:
— NBA Retweet (@RTNBA) April 9, 2023
Kyle Anderson: "Hey, why don't you block some shots?"
Rudy Gobert: "Why don't you grab a rebound."
(h/t @ohnohedidnt24)pic.twitter.com/WAjLsQ0mbP
Sources: After bench incident, Timberwolves' Rudy Gobert and Kyle Anderson had a heated verbal exchange in halftime locker room as well, with Anderson challenging the center at one point saying, "I'll knock your a-- out."
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 10, 2023
Updated story at @TheAthletic: https://t.co/kYHEod0MJd
After the win, Minnesota guard Mike Conley Jr. said that Gobert had sent an apologetic text in the team’s group chat and the sentiment was that all the teammates will move on.
The Timberwolves finish the season as the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference and will face the No. 7 Lakers in the play-in tournament. If Minnesota wins, it will be the new No. 7 seed for the playoffs and will face the Grizzlies in the first round. If the Timberwolves lose, they’ll face the winner of the No. 9/No. 10 game for the final playoff spot.
Rudy Gobert throws a shot at teammate Kyle Anderson during a timeout. pic.twitter.com/dRzi3ALkoJ
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) April 9, 2023
