All-NBA big man Rudy Gobert signs a five-year, $ 205 million contract extension with the Utah Jazz, he told ESPN after agreeing to the largest deal for a center in the league’s history.
“It means they believe in me,” Gobert told ESPN. “They believe in what we have built over the years with this entire organization, with Coach [Quin Snyder] and all the boys. For me it has been an incredible blessing. It is a very motivating feeling to know that we all share the same vision and that we all share this goal for this state and for this franchise. “
Gobert, 28, was eligible for a $ 228 million supermax extension – identical to the deal Giannis Antetokounmpo just signed with the Milwaukee Bucks – for being a two-time defensive player of the year and an All-NBA three times. -selection. Gobert said he didn’t ask for the full supermax because he wanted the Jazz to have flexibility to build around co-star Donovan Mitchell and him.
“My goal for me is to always win a championship,” said Gobert, who has a player option for the deal’s fifth season. “When we spoke to my agent before the negotiations started, I decided I didn’t want to ask for the supermax. We didn’t want to start the negotiations by asking for the supermax. For me it was important to show to the organization and to showing the team that it wasn’t about money, it was about building what we were building and also giving this team and giving myself the stability and peace of mind to not have to deal with the negotiations later on.
“I want to win, and I want to leave this money on the table for the team to have better talent around me and Donovan was really important. I want to win, and I believe in this group and I believe in this organization. , and I was willing to leave that money on the table for them. “
Gobert’s contract is the third-largest deal in NBA history, behind Antetokounmpo’s just-signed deal and a five-year, $ 206.8 million deal that Washington Wizards, Russell Westbrook, signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2017.
The Jazz locked up both All-Star franchise cornerstones for extended renewals off-season. Shooter Donovan Mitchell, 24, signed a maximum five-year extension to his rookie contract worth a guaranteed $ 163 million, with a 30% escalator clause that would increase the deal’s total value to $ 195 million if selected for an All – NBA team this season.
There was well-documented tension between Gobert and Mitchell that surfaced during the NBA hiatus earlier this year, but both players expressed confidence that they could continue to form a productive professional partnership after discussing their issues before the league restart. That belief was reaffirmed by their chemistry in the bubble.
“After all the things that happened within our team and stuff, I really wanted to get back in the bubble and see how it goes,” said Gobert. “After the bubble, I really felt like I could win a championship with Donovan. I think we have both grown a lot, and that we will continue to grow. I am very excited that we will be able to continue this journey together . “
Gobert has emerged as one of the NBA’s most dominant big men during his seven seasons in Utah, acting for the 27th overall pick in the 2013 draft to select and assign the 7-foot-1 Frenchman to what was then called the D League. for most of its rookie season.
“It was tremendous to see Rudy evolve as a player on the field through his competitiveness, relentless work ethic and his passion and dedication to improve,” Snyder wrote in a text message to ESPN. “He’s an elite player and influences our team in so many ways with his unique skills, let alone his sheer will to win. He also has great faith in his teammates and what they achieve. I’m even more proud of how Rudy has grown personally and the impact he has had in our community and around the world. His commitment to the youth and to others is so rewarding to see, and I know he will continue to make his mark in meaningful ways. ”
Going into the final season of a $ 102 million four-year deal, Gobert was an All-NBA selection in three of the past four seasons and was named the league’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2017-18 and 2018-19 . . He averaged 14.7 points, 12.6 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game during the Jazz series of four consecutive seasons with post season berths, a pillar of the franchise’s transformation from a 25-win team , his rookie year to a perpetual playoff team.
“Utah is my home,” said Gobert, who founded his Rudy’s Kids Foundation in 2017 to assist underprivileged children in Salt Lake City, every other NBA city and his hometown of Saint-Quentin, France. “I see myself as a loyal person. I’ve had so many people tell you, ‘Why don’t you go to a bigger market?’ I always tell people that winning a championship in Utah and creating our Utah legacy would mean so much more.
“I think Donovan thinks the same way, Coach Q thinks the same way, [new Jazz owner] Ryan Smith thinks the same way. We really want to build something and create something and create it our way. We want to make something that has never happened before, and for me, that’s the exciting thing about it. I think we’re going to win a championship in Utah. “
ESPN’s Bobby Marks contributed to this report.