Rudy Gobert’s immediate reaction to historic Defensive Player of the Year win

This week was an eventful week for Rudy Gobert. His Minnesota Timberwolves are currently the favorite to win the Western Conference as they are 2-0 in their series against the Denver Nuggets, the defending NBA champions. However, Gobert was unavailable for game two of the series due to the birth of his child. The next day, he received the Defensive Player of the Year award for the fourth time in his career. Gobert is only the third player ever to win the award four times.

A playoff series, a baby and a Defensive Player of the Year award all in the same week. Rudy Gobert has been busy. His defense this season is a big reason why the Timberwolves are in the position they are in, and they will continue to need it in the postseason.

Gobert is honored to have been presented with the award for a fourth time, and has now joined an elite group of defenders as Ben Wallace and Dikembe Mutombo are the only other two players to have won the award four times. Both are in the Hall of Fame.

“It is a blessing and an honor to join this small group,” said Rudy Gobert, according to an article by ESPN. “These two guys are legends. Every story is unique. I will continue to write mine and try to be the best version of myself every day and enjoy every step. I am grateful that my teammates and this organization believe in me and allow me to be who I am. It’s always about the team and pushing each other to give the best of ourselves every day.”

Rudy Gobert credits his teammates

Rudy Gobert discussed the price TNT on Tuesday because other playoff games were taking place, and he gave a lot of credit to his teammates. This Timberwolves squad is an unselfish group, and that is a big reason why they have been so successful this season.

“It’s great teamwork,” Gobert said. “We love getting individual awards and all this stuff, and it’s great, but you can’t do it alone. I’m really thankful for… all my teammates who believe in me, allowing me to do what I do best every day and just trying to change the culture here in Minnesota. It’s great for the boys to get involved.”

One thing that is on full display during this Timberwolves-Nuggets series is Minnesota’s defense. Tuesday in particular was an incredible performance, and Gobert, the best defenseman in the league, wasn’t even there. Defense has been a big focus for this team since the offseason, and their hard work has paid off.

“This year, during training camp, we came into Day 1 and said we wanted to be a top defense in this league,” Gobert added. “Everyone participated. Everyone has worked hard every day and now we are here with one goal in mind: to try to win this championship. … Great things take time. You all know that winning is not something that happens overnight. You have to overcome adversity, you have to go through some ups and downs as a group.”

Winning awards like these is great, but there is one trophy that Gobert and this Timberwolves team have their sights set on. They want to win it all, and after winning the first two games of their series against Denver, it looks like they definitely have a chance to do that.

Game three between the Timberwolves and Nuggets takes place on Friday evening at 9:30 ET. The game is at home for Minnesota and will be broadcast on ESPN.