Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert had some words for the media after what he felt was his snub in Defensive Player of the Year consideration.
Gobert was not named one of the top three finalists for the award this season, which he has won four times in his career. He responded with a statement defensive performance by holding Nikola Jokic to 24 points on 8/20 shooting in Minnesota’s 119-114 win over the Denver Nuggets in Game 2 of the Western Conference quarterfinals at Ball Arena in Denver, Co.
Even though Jokic scored 24 points, the shooting was poor, and Gobert held him off one-on-one on multiple possessions in crunch time. Subsequently, Gobert felt he had to get a dig in at his award snub after the game.
“I was lucky,” Gobert said with a grin. “A top three defender cannot do that, so I was lucky.”
Rudy Gobert was asked what went into him stopping Nikola Jokic in isolation three or four times at the end of the game.
— Dane Moore (@DaneMooreNBA) April 21, 2026
"I was lucky. A top 3 defender can not do that. So I was lucky." https://t.co/FXNBso6FFT pic.twitter.com/7AXmkg4lSo
Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs won the award unanimously, with Chet Holmgren of Oklahoma City and Ausar Thompson of Detroit in second and third. Gobert finished fourth with four second-place votes and 29 third-place votes.
Gobert has drawn plenty of criticism over the years for what some see as his limited skillset and even his softness. One can hardly blame him for getting a few jabs in himself after he made such a vital contribution to Minnesota’s win.
