Standing at 7ft 1 and weighing in just under 260lbs, Rudy Gobert is not someone you would want to be facing in a local BJJ competition. The French National currently plays in the Center position for the Utah Jazz and has done so for just over seven years now, also helping the French National Team to a pair of bronze medals in the world cup. It seems as though grappling has piqued Gobert’s interest however as he recently posted a few photos of his first BJJ training session on his official Instagram account. It appears as though the towering Ultra-Heavyweight decided to take a private lesson at MK Team in Paris, under 3rd Degree Black Belt and 10 x French National Champion, Samuel Monin.
It’s unknown whether Rudy Gobert will be taking BJJ up as a hobby moving forward or whether the NBA star was simply testing the waters, but he’s certainly got the frame to cause any Ultra-Heavyweight a lot of trouble. He wouldn’t be the first top-level athlete to make the switch to competitive BJJ and he wouldn’t be the first NBA player to dabble in it either, but there haven’t been any basketball players who’ve made the jump to the competitive scene just yet.
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Monin also shared the photo on Instagram and announced his delight at being able to train with a high-level professional athlete: “What a pleasure to train an athlete of this level, we see the professionalism, and the capacity for learning, @rudygobert27 I will make you a monster !!! Do not hesitate to take private lessons, it is the best way to take the next level!”
For anyone interested in training with Samuel Monin at MK Team in Paris, click here to check out their website.