Rudy Gobert hasn’t shied away from vocalizing his takes about COVID-19 and its impact on the NBA, no matter how controversial they might be.
And the Utah Jazz star recently delivered another one of his famous hot takes about the deadly virus, which has killed more than 138,000 people in the United States as of Wednesday.
“Multiple” tips reportedly have been made to the NBA’s anonymous safety hotline since players entered the bubble environment at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Fla. Some players already have received warnings, too, per the report.
The league sees it as a vessel for addressing rules violations on campus, but Gobert has a different take.
“I don’t know if someone’s gonna use it, but I think it’s sort of petty,” Gobert said, via ESPN’s Eric Woodyard. “At the same time, you want to make sure that people respect the rules.
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“But I don’t think the line will really help at that point. I think it’s more about respecting each other and all do it as a small community. Everyone is pretty much educated about the virus at this point and it’s more about respect. At the same time, you want to make sure you socialize and do all those things, but still respecting each other’s space and try to wear the mask inside, especially when it’s crowded.”
We’re not sure Gobert understands exactly what petty means, so here’s a quick vocabulary lesson.
According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, “petty,” an adjective, is defined as “marked by or reflective of narrow interests and sympathies.” Synonyms include “narrow-minded” and “small-minded.”
So who’s the real petty one here? Is it players making calls over protocol violations for the sake of their health and safety? Or is it Gobert, who apparently thinks calling into a line designed to help maintain safety standards in the bubble environment is a “narrow-minded” act?
Let’s not forget, Gobert landed himself in plenty of hot water back in March after downplaying the coronavirus and touching every single microphone in front of him during a press conference two days before he tested positive for the virus himself. In fact, it was his positive test that led the NBA to immediately suspend it’s 2019-20 season March 11, with most other professional sports leagues in the U.S. following suit.
Clearly, Gobert isn’t the best judge of narrow-mindedness. After all, what’s the harm in having the hotline if players are following the rules as they should be?
