SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Jazz announced Monday that the team has signed center Rudy Gobert to a multiyear contract extension. Per team policy, terms of the agreement were not released.
The 24-year-old Gobert (7-1, 245, France) is currently in his fourth NBA campaign, all with the Jazz, and through the first three games of 2016-17 has posted two double-doubles while averaging 11.0 points, a team-leading 12.0 rebounds and 2.7 blocks, along with 2.0 assists while shooting .550 (11-20) in 32.7 minutes.
Gobert finished last season as one of only five players in the NBA averaging at least 9.0 points, 11.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game (Anthony Davis, Pau Gasol, DeAndre Jordan, Hassan Whiteside). He registered 9.1 points, team-highs of 11.0 rebounds and 2.2 blocks, while adding 1.5 assists in 31.7 minutes during 61 appearances (60 starts). He ranked third in the league in blocks per game and seventh in both rebounds per game and total blocks (135). He added 20 double-doubles and had three-or-more blocks in 24 games, grabbing 10-plus rebounds in 38 contests.
Featuring a seven-foot-nine wingspan and nine-foot-seven standing reach, Gobert is an imposing force noted for his defensive presence and shot-blocking abilities. Entering this season, he ranked third in the NBA since the start of the 2014-15 season in blocks per game (2.27) and sixth in defensive rating (98.4) while also ranking in the top six in block percentage and rebound percentage. He has also increased his points, rebounds and assist averages in each of his first four seasons, and the Jazz are 56-44 with him as a starter over the course of his career.
Originally acquired by the Jazz in a 2013 NBA Draft-night deal with Denver after being selected in the first-round (27th overall), Gobert has appeared in 191 career games (100 starts) over three-plus seasons and owns career averages of 7.2 points, 8.6 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 2.0 blocks on .575 shooting in 24.2 minutes. His blocked shot average is the third-highest in Jazz franchise history, trailing only Mark Eaton and Andrei Kirilenko, while his rebounds per game rank sixth on the all-time list. He also ranks 10th in the franchise annals for total blocks (373) despite having played in fewer games than any other player ranked in the top 20.
An active member of the Salt Lake community, Gobert participates in numerous Jazz community initiatives such as hospital visits and fitness clinics each year, and for the 2016-17 season has purchased a block of tickets for every Jazz home game that are donated to local youth and non-profit organizations across the Wasatch Front for fans who might not otherwise have the opportunity or resources to enjoy a Jazz game.
The native of Saint-Quentin, France, is also a member of the French Men’s National Team program, having competed for Les Bleus in the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Brazil and 2015 FIBA EuroBasket, as well as helping them to a bronze medal at the 2014 FIBA World Cup.
