Rudy Gobert is very good at a lot of things on the basketball court. One thing that he’s never been by any stretch of the imagination is a three-point shooter — in 10 seasons as an NBA player, Gobert has gone 0-for-14 from three in the regular season and 0-for-1 from behind the arc in the postseason. International play for France has been much of the same, as Gobert’s never made a three for them at a FIBA World Cup or at the Olympics.
But that finally changed on Wednesday, as Gobert and France took on Montenegro ahead of this month’s World Cup. Gobert was left wide open behind the three-point line as the French inbounded the ball, lined up a triple, and knocked it down. His national team teammate, Nicolas Batum, shared the video after the game and was quite happy about it.
Those scooting report about to be different 😅 @rudygobert27 pic.twitter.com/4wUR02xS6I
— Nicolas Batum (@nicolas88batum) August 2, 2023
Now, we don’t exactly think that teams are going to change up their scouting reports out of a fear that Rudy Gobert will get hot from deep, but this was a fun moment for him. And after the game, he, uh, well here’s the quote.
💬 "Ce soir, j'ai l'impression d'avoir perdu ma virginité."
Face au Monténégro, Rudy Gobert a réussi le premier tir à 3 points de sa carrière 🔫#TeamFranceBasket | #PassionnémentBleu | #FIBAWC pic.twitter.com/rSbPlqw8oJ
— Équipes de France de Basket (@FRABasketball) August 2, 2023
“Tonight I feel like I lost my virginity,” Gobert said.
France beat Montenegro, 80-69, with Gobert going for 16 points and nine rebounds. The French are the defending silver medalists at the Tokyo Olympics, will enter the tournament as one of the favorites to win the whole thing. It won’t be easy winning their group, though, as they’re in Group H alongside Canada, Latvia, and Lebanon.
