Timberwolves’ Rudy Gobert apologizes after he is sent home for taking a swing at his OWN teammate Kyle Anderson in a heated timeout – before Minnesota book postseason game against the Lakers
Rudy Gobert was sent home by the Minnesota Timberwolves after he lashed out at teammate Kyle Anderson during a timeout in their regular season finale Sunday.
Cameras were fixed on one of the first-half timeouts and caught the fiery altercation on the bench in the second quarter of the New Orleans Pelicans game.
Center Gobert and forward Anderson were seen in a heated discussion on the sideline as tempers flared.
What was said between the pair could not be heard but Gobert stepped closer towards Anderson before eventually taking a swing at him. He seemed to hit him in the chest with his hand.
ESPN reported later on Sunday night that Anderson told him to ‘Shut the f*** up, b****,’ after wanting Gobert to block shots. Gobert had called on his teammate to get a rebound.
Rudy Gobert lashed out at his Minnesota Timberwolves teammate Kyle Anderson in timeout
Anderson looked to retaliate but other teammates and coaching staff members broke pair up
Anderson looked to retaliate but other teammates and coaching staff members got in between the pair to break them up as Minnesota trailed by 12 points with 4:23 left before halftime.
Anderson was held back and then eventually walked away as the klaxon sounded for the end of the timeout. Gobert was escorted to the locker room.
The center was subbed out of the game at that moment with Anderson taking his place on the court.
‘I think tempers just flared,’ Anderson said postgame. ‘That’s all.’
‘We want to win games. It is what it is. It ain’t the first time someone has swung on me.’
Minnesota president of basketball operations Tim Connelly said in a statement: ‘His behavior on the bench was unacceptable and we will handle the situation internally.’
Gobert apologized on Twitter: ‘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 organization, and particularly to Kyle, who is someone that I truly love and respect as a teammate.’
The Timberwolves found themselves down at halftime to the Pelicans with victory meaning they could jump up to eighth and get a better seeding.
Gobert was then ruled out for the remainder of the New Orleans Pelicans game on Sunday
As the second half got underway Minnesota announced Gobert was out for the rest of the game as it was widely reported he was sent home following the incident.
Gobert was fined $25,000 last month for blasting ‘bulls***’ officiating following defeat by the Phoenix Suns.
Gobert made headlines during the coronavirus pandemic while playing for the Utah Jazz.
He was filmed jokingly touching microphones and tape recorders at a press conference before testing positive for COVID-19. He apologized for his actions.
Moments before Gobert was ruled out, Jaden McDaniels was also sidelined after punching a wall down the tunnel.
The tetchy Timberwolves came back to win 113-108. They will visit the No. 7 Lakers in a play-in game Tuesday night.
