FILE - In this Feb. 24, 2020, file photo, Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert shoots during practice before a NBA basketball game against the Phoenix Suns in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)
SALT LAKE CITY — Rudy Gobert’s letter to Jazz fans started simply. “Dear Utah,” he wrote, “I don’t say a lot.”
From there, the man who has reportedly agreed to a five-year contract extension valued at $205 million thanked Jazz fans for treating him the way he tries to treat others — respectfully, despite their differences.
In Gobert’s letter, he thanked fans for “seeing him through the good times, [as well as the] struggles and mistakes.” And he said he’s “here to stay and to win a championship.”
The letter was published around the same time word got out that the Utah Jazz wants to keep Rudy around for a while.
Citing his commitment, competitiveness, and dedication to winning, Utah Jazz management announced Sunday that the team has signed Rudy Gobert to a contract extension.
The Jazz did not elaborate on the details, but multiple sources including ESPN and The Athletic reported that the extension is for five years and is worth $205 million.
Gobert, a French native, has accompanied the Jazz to four postseason appearances in a row and participated in seven playoff games in 2020. There, he averaged 16.9 points, 11.4 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks in nearly 39 minutes per game.
According to a statement from the team, Gobert ranks first in all-time field goal percentage in the Jazz record books. He ranks third in offensive rebounds and fifth in blocks.
“Rudy’s competitiveness and will to win have been instrumental in watching how he has grown and evolved into an elite player in our league,” Head Coach Quin Snyder said in a statement.
“He is dedicated to his teammates and to winning here in Utah …. I look forward to seeing how he continues to make an impact through his dedication to kids and to our community.”
Gobert’s impact to the Utah community was evident in the months after he tested positive for COVID-19. The NBA season was placed on hiatus after Gobert and then Donovan Mitchell, both tested positive for the virus around March 11, 2020.
Gobert reportedly felt responsible for the hiatus, and donated $200,000 to part-time Jazz workers that lost income because of game cancellations. He also gave more than $300,000 to families impacted by COVID-19 in Utah, Oklahoma City, and his home country of France.