SALT LAKE CITY – A year ago, Rudy Gobert, wearing a red Santa hat, smiled slightly as he slowly made his way back to a room in the Utah jazz cabinet and saw dozens of children opening Christmas presents. by Gobert and his children’s foundation.
Gobert couldn’t play Santa personally this year, but that didn’t mean there were no presents to make.
Earlier this month, Gobert packed three loads full of coats, boots, gloves and toys and delivered them to Operation Chimney Drop in Utah Community Action. Gobert’s contributions were aimed at helping 120 young people.
“One of the wonderful things about Rudy was that he actually drove to our location and unloaded his clothes and toys. He prepared everything for us,” said Carla Frein of Utah Community Action. “He was very interested in asking me questions about what we do, how many children we serve, how we make holiday gift bags.”
Gobert cares about details. The All-Star Jazz Center has not grown rich – far from it. He shared a two-bedroom apartment with his mother and his two older brothers, and there was even a time when the family had to go to a local charity to receive Christmas presents.
That Christmas made a lasting impression on him – he even remembers the gift: a set of military lego – and helped stimulate the desire to give back. He not only wants to share money, but he wants to help create moments and memories. He wants to inspire.
“He’s the most attractive, beloved, giant of a man with these kids,” said Lindsay Marriott, manager of the Rudy Kids Foundation. “He’s the most fun to watch. He’s right in his element. He’s got a lot of fun. He’s one-on-one. He’s very sweet just to be involved and invested. And he just has genuine care and concern.”
With the limited contact COVID-19, those special moments were harder to create. However, Gobert tried to give things a personal touch.
In May, Gobert donated $ 20,000 to “For The Kids” to help combat food insecurity due to school closures. His donation provided meals for more than 250 families from five schools in the Salt Lake City school district. In normal years, Gobert would have taken the time to meet his children and families. Although this was far from a normal year, he still wanted to find a way to give things a personal touch.
He helped pack the meals and then left a special surprise for the children. Each packed lunch had a signed Rudy Gobert card.
“He’s calm about it; he doesn’t need people to post about it,” Marriott said. “He will come down and do that and he will never know anyone again that he came in and packed those boxes for those children. And then, in addition, he added a small autographed book with some candies, just to inform them that he was thinking about them in time. He’s always tried to make a special extra effort if he can’t physically see them. “
It’s a way Gobert can thank a community he feels has embraced him since he came as a big-eyed young man from France. When Jazz changed them on draft night in 2013, he had never lived in the United States and was aware of his ability to speak English. But when he arrived in Utah, he felt an immediate connection.
“Whether I went to the grocery store or obviously the people at Jazz. I always felt like people were hugging me and people were very happy to be part of the community,” Gobert said. “I didn’t speak great English – I still don’t speak great English – but I felt at home and my family always felt the same way. There was always respect; there was always gratitude. I came here and I felt at home immediately. . “
It’s his house. It’s his community. He wants to help the people who made him feel welcome.
That’s why Gobert donated $ 20,000 to serve the refugees, an organization that supports the Utah refugee community. The funds bought backpacks full of school supplies, COVID cleaning kits and computers for families.
And that’s why, one December day, he packed three loads of toys and clothes to donate to families in need. Families, who in some cases had never needed her before.
“Some of the customers who receive these gifts receive services for the first time, they have never been in this situation before,” Frein said.
It’s a situation that Gobert knows first hand – that’s why he will continue to help.
“I just want people to be able to see what we see every day – that he really has that love, care and care and he just wants to inspire and motivate in every way he can,” Marriott said. “This is the legacy he wants to leave behind. He is a stellar basketball player, but he is an even more magnificent man.”
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Ryan Miller