"Kareem skyhook just to pass" - NBA fans in splits as ESPN broadcaster chuckles at Rudy Gobert's botched play

Rudy Gobert and the Minnesota Timberwolves continued their dominance over their 2024 Western Conference Finals rivals, the Denver Nuggets, with a commanding 115-95 win on Wednesday. Gobert recorded a double-double in just his second game back from a month-long injury absence, but that didn’t stop fans from poking fun at him.

In the second quarter, Gobert drove to the rim but found himself face-to-face with Nikola Jokic. The French center sidestepped, appearing ready to attack the basket, but instead made a last-second, off-target pass to Julius Randle. Jokic deflected the pass, resulting in a turnover.

A basketball page on X (formerly Twitter) shared a clip of the sequence and pointed out that ESPN commentator Richard Jefferson chuckled at the play.

“Gobert is so bad he got the ESPN commentators laughing at him 😭,” the page wrote.

Fans quickly chimed in with their reactions:

“Bro tryna do a Kareem skyhook just to pass the ball 😭,” a fan commented.

“Giving free ammo for Shaq,” another said.

“Hilarious player,” another wrote.

“Just a goofy ass n***a man,” another added.

“Richard Jefferson laughing at Rudy gobert on live television 😂😂😂,” another wrote.

Gobert finished the game with 11 points, 10 rebounds and one block, posting a plus-16 rating. Anthony Edwards led the way with 29 points and six assists, while Julius Randle contributed 25 points for the Timberwolves, who overcame a 34-point performance from Nikola Jokic.

Rudy Gobert discusses his return after month-long absence

Gobert made his return on Sunday against the San Antonio Spurs, helping Minnesota to a 17-point victory. In his first game back, he posted 16 points and eight rebounds.

After the game, he admitted he was still dealing with some pain.

“Playing with pain is part of the game, right, but there is pain,” he said postgame (per Eurohoops.net). “There is the pain that keeps you from moving, is underlying and can get worse, and there is the pain that it’s only getting better from here.”

“Right now, I feel like I’m strong, I’m balanced, and I could move how I need to move and be myself. It was a good time for me to come back, and I’m happy today went great."

Up next for Rudy Gobert and the Timberwolves is a matchup against the Orlando Magic on Friday.