The Utah Jazz’s suddenly macho big man keeps attracting a ton of attention.
NBA testing for performance-enhancing drugs is supposedly random. That said, as TMZ Sports recently examined following its brief airport-terminal interview this week with Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert, the so-called “randomness” of said tests is becoming more and more suspect.
All of the conspiracy theorists out there would likely point to Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox as potential evidence of league officials scouring social media accounts for any reason to administer drug tests to specific individuals. After all, the shirtless gym pic that Fox posted earlier this month just so happened to precede his selection for a “random” drug test shortly after that.
Around this same time two years ago, then-Los Angeles Lakers guard Alex Caruso experienced a similar chain of events. However, his “random” selection occurred after a photoshopped image of him went viral.
Now, one must wonder if the league has its eyes on Gobert, who is only a week or so removed from revealing his current ultra-chiseled frame — six-pack and all— to all of his followers on Twitter and Instagram.
Nevertheless, Gobert seemed unalarmed by any such talk from TMZ Sports. Instead, the three-time and reigning NBA Defensive Player of the Year essentially welcomed a drug test when responding to whether he is worried about potentially receiving one:
“No, I’m not worried. I’m all clean. Know what I mean? All organic. All-natural. All work.”
Utah Jazz star explaining his gains
Rudy Gobert, now entering his ninth season in the NBA and with the Jazz, initially downplayed apparent increases in muscle mass while speaking to the TMZ Sports reporter/instigator:
“Not that much. I’m just working…It’s all about getting better every year, so I just got to do my work.”
But the 29-year-old 7-footer then admitted to perhaps being in the best shape of his life:
“I haven’t weighed the last two months, so we’ll see…Uh, I probably feel the strongest I’ve ever been.”
Training camp begins on Tuesday. No, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Rudy Gobert finds a “random” appointment in his locker.