The NBA is a job. We often forget that. It's a job, and the only outcome is entertainment-based. Nothing major happens. This isn't The Hunger Games or Running Man. People's lives aren't on the line, nor will people go hungry if the wrong or right team wins. It's a game, at the end of the day. It's not that serious.
A family is. Being a parent is. Make sure you're there for the most important moments of theirs, and your life. So we couldn't be prouder of former Utah Jazz, now Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert, who put his family first by attending the birth of his child. It was the right call. A father should be there to see his child ushered into the world.
How much he sees is entirely up to him. But he should be there. Sadly, the NBA is filled with people who think a silly game, playoffs or not, is more important than your very own child. For those who don't know, Gobert ducked out of Game 2 of the NBA Western Conference Semifinals to attend the birth of his child.
The Minnesota Timberwolves were just fine without him, as they gave the Denver Nuggets an absolute beating without Gobert on the court. It was the right call, but some people don't agree and those people are just awful.
So it shouldn't be surprising that the worst sports personality since Ryan Hollis and Skip Bayless, Gilbert Arenas, was the one who decided to try and demean Gobert for his decision.
Gilbert Arenas calls out Rudy Gobert for missing a playoff game for the birth of his child
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) May 7, 2024
“It’s a baby bro, it’s gonna be there when you get back.”
(🎥 @GilsArenaShow ) pic.twitter.com/2Gc79H4RoI
Arenas goes on to showcase how narrowminded he is, as he goes on a recent edition of his Gilbert Arenas show, to say that the "baby would be there" after the game. But what he fails to realize is how dangerous childbirth really is. Something could've gone wrong. Would he still have the audacity to say what he said had Gobert's child or wife suffered some sort of catastrophic complication?
Arenas doesn't have the best reputation, but Gobert skipping a game to tend to his family is the one thing every parent, every father, should do. Gobert has larger responsibilities than basketball, and it's fantastic that he knows that. Arenas continues to prove himself an unserious commentator.
And Gobert proved just how much of a man he really is.