Gobert Credits Mom, Quin Snyder After Signing Contract

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Rudy Gobert signed the biggest contract ever handed out to an NBA center on Sunday. But the process of getting there was much longer. After signing the record-setting deal, the Utah Jazz big man credit his mom and Jazz coach Quin Snyder for his development.

Gobert posted a letter on social media after signing the deal, crediting three values his mom instilled in him as a child for his development as a man.

1) Always be true to yourself. 2) Respect and be good to others, no matter their job their status or their differences. 3) With hard work you can achieve anything.

Rudy Gobert thanked @UtahJazz fans after signing his extension with the team. #TakeNotehttps://t.co/fIB7sAxnhW

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) December 20, 2020

Gobert then doubled down on the impact his mother has had on his life in a conversation with the media.

“She’s very proud,” Gobert said of his mother. “I would never be the man that I am without her obviously, and without the values that she gave me since I was a kid.”

The All-Star center was raised in Saint Quentin, France with his siblings by his mom with only modest means at their disposal. Now, Gobert is entering the NBA season having signed his second nine-figure contract, this one worth more than double his last.

Rudy Gobert, his mother, his agent, and the @UtahJazz brain trust Dennis Lindsey and Justin Zanik at his contract signing. pic.twitter.com/nUbFTF0qeS

— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) December 20, 2020

After agreeing to the contract, Gobert and his mom celebrated with a family dinner and reminisced about their past life.

“Remembering all those memories back in France when we were kids and she always sacrificed everything for us to make sure that we had everything that we needed,” Gobert recalled. “It was just a great moment.”

Crediting Snyder and the Jazz Coaching Staff

Gobert’s mom was not the only person to garner praise from the center. The two-time Defensive Player of the Year also credited Snyder and Jazz assistant coach Alex Jensen with his development.

“He gave me a chance and he believed in me when he didn’t necessarily have to,” Gobert said of Snyder. “We really grew this relationship.”

Snyder was hired by the Jazz after Gobert’s rookie season, a season plagued by a lack of playing time trips to the G League. For his part, Snyder credited Gobert’s willingness to grow and handle criticism on and off the floor for arriving at this point six years later.

Quin Snyder on Rudy Gobert's extension.

"I know Rudy has been committed to Utah, the Jazz, and his teammates. He's built a house here. And he's thrilled to continue to be a part of this franchise and this community. So it's a special day."

— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) December 20, 2020

“The first road trip we had we had to talk to Rudy about being a little more prompt and punctual on the plane,” Snyder remembered. “So something as simple as that. All the little things are really what I’m referring to. And to be a great player and a great teammate you’ve got to care as much about the little things as you do the big things.”

While Snyder has been the Jazz coach for the majority of his NBA career, Jensen and Gobert began their careers with the Jazz together. Gobert was the 27th pick by the Jazz the same season Jensen was hired by then Coach Tyrone Corbin as a developmental coach.

“We grew together, we grew a very special relationship,” Snyder said. “He always tells me the truth and we have that kind of relationship that I believe in this league not a lot of players and coaches have.”

Though Gobert’s path to signing his new contract hasn’t always been easy, he’s found a support system that helped him develop into one of the best players in the NBA.

“I’m grateful to have people that love me for who I am,” Gobert said. “And that I know will always support me in the good and the bad moments.”

The Jazz season begins on Wednesday when the team travels to Portland to face the Trail Blazers.