The Utah Jazz’s All-Star Center Rudy Gobert is a three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year and arguably one of the best defensive big men in the league. The Frenchmen also is known for being the Covid-19 diagnosis that came to mark the beginning of the pandemic changing life in America. After Thursday night, he may also be known as one of the most famous beekeepers in the country.
Only hours before an all-important Game 6 against the Dallas Mavericks, Gobert shared a pic on his Instagram story showing the 7-footer nursing the side effects of a beesting. He owns a few hives at his Utah residence, citing honey production and the environmental benefits.
Before the game, Rudy Gobert told reporters that his vision was not suffering, so the sting wouldn’t impact his play on the court. That didn’t stop the Inside the NBA crew on TNT from ripping the big man, not for the sting, but for weirdly owning bees as pets.
Charles Barkley roasted Gobert, saying if he wanted honey, he could just go down to the local Kroger or Acme.
“Come on, man. Bees are not a pet!” Barkley said. “The guy makes $30 million a year. Go down to the damn [supermarket] and get some damn honey. Bees are not a damn pet!”
Shaquille O’Neal added that the only thing that can happen when you mess with bees is getting stung. “Come on, leave them bees alone,” the big fella said.
TNT wasn’t the only one having some fun with this story. The Salt Lake Bees, Triple-A affiliate of MLB’s Los Angeles Angels, made sure to deny any involvement in the mishap and wished the big man a speedy recovery.