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SALT LAKE CITY — Rudy Gobert cares about a good story. He likes tales where protagonists have to overcome obstacles and beat long odds and narratives that are more focused on the journey than the destination.
So when it came to signing a new multi-year deal worth a reported $205 million on Sunday, Gobert didn't see it as a time to celebrate, but a time to reflect. Both on the journey that brought him there and the chapters that are still to be written.
On Sunday, Gobert's agent Bouna Ndiaye posted a photo on social media of Gobert signing his new contract. On Gobert's right was a smiling blonde woman: Corrine Gobert, the mother of Utah's franchise center.
Corrine is central to her son's story. She raised him and his two older siblings by herself in a small two-bedroom apartment. Life wasn't easy, but Gobert was happy. It was there she instilled in him the values that he's carried with him to NBA stardom.
Those values: Always be true to yourself, respect and be good to others — no matter what, and with hard work you can achieve anything.
In Gobert's case, it doesn't feel like hyperbole when he says anything. He went from sliding to the end of the first round to winning two Defensive Player of the Year awards. He jumped back and forth from the G-League to the Jazz in his rookie year and became an All-Star. He was seen as a shot-blocking project and is now a player an organization deems worthy of near-supermax money.
"I think it means a lot — not just for me, but for all the kids out there that feel like they've been overlooked or they're not where they should be," Gobert said of the new contract. "I think it's motivating and that's the story I want to tell. I want to make sure that people understand that it's all about work, it's all about believing in yourself, believing in your team, believing in the people around you."
Especially when those people have shown such strong belief in you. That's what Gobert has found in Utah.
For those who feel the Jazz overpaid for the All-Sta center, consider how Utah coach Quin Snyder has built the entire Jazz system — both on offense and defense — around Gobert. That's how highly Snyder values Gobert. He seems him as one of the most impactful players in the entire NBA.
"This is an opportunity that he's unbelievably appreciative of," Snyder said of Gobert singing the long-term deal. "And I have no doubt he'll continue to improve."
It's more than just Snyder, though. Gobert has worked with assistant coach Alex Jensen since he got to the league. The two have grown together and have become adopted members of each other's families. As Gobert has garnered accolades, Jensen has risen up the Jazz coaching hierarchy and been interviewed for head coaching jobs.
"I'm really grateful to have people that love me for who I am and that I know will always support me in the good and the bad moments," Gobert said.
That includes the fans, who Gobert has felt a strong connection with since arriving in Salt Lake City, and the Utah front office, who always made it clear they wanted Gobert back. It all made it an "easy decision" for Gobert to sign the extension. Especially since anything else wouldn't have fit his own story.
Gobert might not have been in line for as big a payday if he had hit free agency next summer, but he would have been a big (figuratively and literally) target for title-contending teams. That might have been an easier path to the championship that he so desires. But he had seen the Jazz grow from a lottery-bound team to one on the cusp of contention. Leaving that to join another organization wouldn't feel right.
"I always felt like it would mean a lot more to bring a championship here," Gobert said. "First of all, because of all the struggles that we've been through in the last seven years — all the blood, sweat, the losses in the first round of the playoffs, all this stuff — it wouldn't mean the same (to win somewhere else)."
He said it would add more weight to the title to win it in Utah as a longtime member of the organization, especially knowing what it would mean to the fan base and the Utah community. So that is exactly what he's planning on doing.
"I believe in this group, I believe in this organization and that's why my decision was easy to make because that's where my heart is," Gobert said. "Since I got here, I always thought that having a chance to bring a championship to the state of Utah, to the city, to this organization would be something pretty powerful."
And something that would make one fine story.
