Rudy Gobert Punches Teammate Kyle Anderson During Timeout

BYCole BlakePublished on April 09, 20232.9K Views

LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA - AUGUST 21: Rudy Gobert #27 of the Utah Jazz celebrates a basket against the Denver Nuggets during the second quarter in Game Three of the Western Conference First Round during the 2020 NBA Playoffs at AdventHealth Arena at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on August 21, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

Rudy Gobert threw a punch at Kyle Anderson during a timeout on Sunday.

Rudy Gobert threw a punch at his Minnesota Timberwolves teammate Kyle Anderson during the team's 113-108 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday. The incident occurred during a timeout in the second quarter of the game. At halftime, the team announced that Gobert was sent home.

In a video from the timeout, Gobert and Anderson could be seen having a heat exchange of words before the 7′1″ Gobert moved in and threw a fist at Anderson. “We made the decision to send Rudy Gobert home after the incident in the second quarter," Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly said in a statement. "His behavior on the bench was unacceptable and we will continue handling the situation internally.”

Rudy Gobert & Kyle Anderson

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - MARCH 10: Kyle Anderson #5 celebrates a dunk by Rudy Gobert #27 of the Minnesota Timberwolves against the Brooklyn Nets in the fourth quarter of the game at Target Center on March 10, 2023 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Nets defeated the Timberwolves 124-123 in overtime. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)

"I think tempers just flared," Anderson said after the game. "That's all." He added that the two won't have any problems going forward and are just serious about wanting to win. "We want to win games. It is what it is. It ain't the first time someone has swung on me," he said. Mike Conley added that Gobert already had sent a text message to the team apologizing for his behavior. Warriors star Draymond Green trolled Gobert on Twitter after the game. "Insecurity is always loud…," Green wrote, echoing a tweet Gobert posted in 2022.

The Timberwolves are set to take on the Los Angeles Lakers in a play-in game for the playoffs. The winner will face the No. 2 seed Memphis Grizzlies in the first round of the playoffs. The loser will compete in a second play-in matchup with the winner of the New Orleans Pelicans and the Oklahoma City Thunder matchup. The team to advance from that game will take on the top seeded Denver Nuggets. Check out Gobert and Anderson's heated interaction on Twitter below.

Rudy Gobert Punches Kyle Anderson

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About The Author

Cole Blake

Cole Blake is currently an Editor at HotNewHipHop based out of Brooklyn, New York. He began working at the site as an intern back in 2018 while studying journalism at St. John’s University. In the time since, he’s graduated with a bachelor's degree and written extensively about a wide range of topics including pop culture, film & television, politics, video games, sports, and much more. He’s also covered music festivals such as Gov. Ball and Rolling Loud. You can find him publishing work for HNHH from Monday to Wednesday or on weekends. On the sports front, Cole’s a passionate NBA and NFL fan with his favorite teams being the Indianapolis Colts and Los Angeles Lakers. He also roots for the Yankees whenever he finds himself at Yankee Stadium or the Red Storm when in the company of other SJU alumni. His favorite hip-hop artists are billy woods, Earl Sweatshirt, Cam’ron, MIKE, and Mach-Hommy.