SALT LAKE CITY – A year ago, Rudy Gobert, wearing a red Santa Claus hat, smiled softly as he walked slowly around a room at the Utah Jazz studio and saw dozens of children opening Christmas presents provided by the Gobert Foundation and their children .
Gobert couldn’t play Santa Claus in person this year, but that didn’t mean there would be no gifts to give.
Earlier this month, Gobert packed three carts full of jackets, boots, gloves and toys and handed them over to Operation Utah’s Community Action Operation Chimney. Gobert’s contributions were to help 120 young people.
“One of the best things about Rudy is that he actually drove to our location and unloaded his clothes and toys. He set it up 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 bags for Christmas gifts.”
Gobert is concerned with details. The Jazz All-Star center did not grow rich – far from it. He shared a two-bedroom apartment with his mother and two older brothers and there was even a time when the family had to go to a local charity to buy Christmas gifts.
That Christmas left a lasting impression on him – he even remembers the present: a military set of lego – and helped to boost the desire to give back. He doesn’t just want to distribute money, he wants to help create moments and memories. He wants to inspire.
“He’s the most engaging, captivating giant man with these kids,” said Lindsay Marriott, manager of the Rudy’s Kids Foundation. “It’s the most fun to watch. It’s right in its element. He has a lot of fun. He’s one on one. He’s very kind to just be involved and invested. And he has genuine care and concern.”
With COVID-19 limiting contact, those special moments were more difficult to create. Still, Gobert tried to give things a personal touch.
In May, Gobert donated $ 20,000 to “For The Kids” to help address food insecurity due to school closures. Your donation provided meals for more than 250 families from five schools in the Salt Lake City School District. In normal years, Gobert would have had time to get to know the children and families. Although this was a far from 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. Inside each packed lunch there was a card signed by Rudy Gobert.
“He doesn’t say anything; he doesn’t need people to post about it,” said Marriott. “He’ll just go down and do that and no one will ever know that he came in and packed those boxes for those kids. And besides, he added a small autographed card with some sweets, just to let them know that he was thinking about them during the time. . He always tried to make an extra special effort, if possible, when he couldn’t see them physically. “
It is a way for Gobert to thank a community that he feels has embraced him since he came from France as a wide-eyed young man. When Jazz negotiated for him on draft night in 2013, he had never lived in the United States and was embarrassed about his ability to speak English. But when he arrived in Utah, he felt an immediate connection.
“Whether it was when I was going to the supermarket or obviously the Jazz people. I always felt that people were hugging me, and people were very happy to have me as part of the community, ”said Gobert. “I didn’t speak English very well – I still don’t speak English very well – but I felt at home and my family always felt the same. There was always respect; there was always gratitude. I came here and felt at home immediately.”
It’s your house. It’s your community. He wants to help people who have made him feel welcome.
That’s why Gobert donated $ 20,000 to Serve Refugees, an organization that supports the refugee community in Utah. The money bought backpacks with school supplies, COVID cleaning kits and computers for families.
And that is why on a December day, he packed three cars full of toys and clothes to donate to families in need. Families that, in some cases, have never needed this before.
“Some of the customers who receive these gifts are receiving services for the first time, they have never been in this situation before,” said Frein.
It is a situation that Gobert knows firsthand – so he will continue to help.
“I just wish people could see what we see every day – that he genuinely has that love, care and concern and really just wants to inspire and motivate in any way he can,” said Marriott. “That is the legacy he wants to leave behind. He is a stellar basketball player, but he is an even more magnificent human being.”
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Ryan Miller