Gobert explains his viral breakdown after not getting picked for All-Star Game / News - Basketnews.com

Gobert says he wouldn't take the moment when he broke down in tears back. It was a moment of him being real after hearing tears from his mother, who he describes as the most influential person in his life, he says.

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After becoming the NBA Defensive Player of the Year, Rudy Gobert was not picked for the All-Star Game in 2019. What followed was a viral clip of him crying after finding it out.

Rudy Gobert

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The French center was ridiculed for it by members of the US media and players alike. The moment still bothers the Minnesota Timberwolves star to this day, even though five years have already passed.

"You know … of all the shit I've gotten in my career, a lot of it was deserved. I've made mistakes, like everybody. But the one moment that really bothers me is when I was asked about missing out on the All-Star Game in 2019, and I broke down in tears," Gobert wrote in The Players Tribune. "I think that moment, more than anything, defines how people see me in America vs. who I really am."

"When it happened, I was caught off guard. I had a bunch of cameras in front of me after our practice. I got asked about not making the team, so I started telling the reporters how my mom was the one to call me to tell me the news. And how she started crying on the phone with me," the player explained. "For some reason, I just lost it."

Gobert says the moment was just the tip of the emotional iceberg related to his mother, who the player describes as the most influential person in his entire life.

"It's something that I think happens to everyone when they talk about their mom…. Like, I would never show emotion in front of my mom. I'm always a rock. I have to act like everything is cool. But in that moment, when I thought of her in front of all the reporters and the cameras, it's like I turned into a kid again," Gobert said. "It just tapped into something really raw inside of me, and it's like everything came back to me in a surge of emotions — all the memories, and everything she did to help me live my dreams — and I just got choked up."

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"I wasn't emotional because I missed out on one All-Star Game. It was way deeper than that. I was crying because of the deeper meaning," the Frenchman explained. "How much my mom means to me. How much this game of basketball means to me. Everything that we have lived through together."

While Gobert has been involved in a multitude of high-profile social media stories, this one was arguably the biggest. Golden State's Draymond Green continues to make fun of Gobert until today.

"Of course, social media went crazy. It was turned into a meme, and everyone had their jokes, because that's the way the world works now. But honestly, you know what? I would never take it back," Gobert said. "That was one of the most real moments that I’ve ever had in front of a TV camera. I wish for everyone on this planet to have something in their life that they give everything to — all their passion and their heart and emotion — the way that I pour my whole soul into the game of basketball."

"I hope kids watch that video and they see how passionate that person on their screen is. Someone that’s fighting for his dreams," he continued. "No one should be afraid to fail, especially kids. Showing your emotions…. It's not weakness. It's just being real."

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