Watch: $44,000,000 worth Bollywood star Ranveer Singh stoked to receive signed jersey from Rudy Gobert

Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert was greeted by one of the biggest Indian film stars, Ranveer Singh, before his preseason matchup tonight. He gifted a signed jersey to Singh and the actor's excitement was through the roof.

Ranveer Singh has been quite active in the NBA fan community lately. He is one of the biggest names in the Indian Film Industry and the NBA's brand ambassador in India. He was a member of the Celebrity All-Star game in 2022 and 2023 and is one of the biggest reasons for the growth of NBA and basketball viewership in the Indian subcontinent.

Ranveer Singh is the brand ambassador of the English Premier League (Soccer), NBA and the ICC (Cricket) in India. He has over 45 million followers on Instagram and is reportedly worth a whopping $44 million. He is the ideal celebrity to promote sports in India and his presence at NBA games has helped the league to build a fan community in the country.

The celebrities for the 2024 Celebrity All-Star Game haven't been announced yet but it shouldn't be surprising if Singh is picked for a third straight year.

Rudy Gobert and the Minnesota Timberwolves kick off the 2023 NBA preseason in Abu Dhabi

Rudy Gobert (right) and Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves

The Minnesota Timberwolves and Dallas Mavericks will face off in Abu Dhabi on Thursday Night for the first preseason game of the 2023-24 NBA season. The two teams will play in UAE on October 7th as well. The games will take place at the Etihad Arena on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

The Abu Dhabi Games are part of the annual tradition of the NBA sending teams to international venues to generate hype, viewership and fandom in other countries. The league will also host games in France, Mexico and Canada this year.

Rudy Gobert is part of the starting lineup tonight and will have a bigger role representing the team in front of UAE fans as one of the team's stars, Anthony Edwards is absent. The star guard is suffering from an ankle sprain and is ruled out.

There are a lot of expectations from Rudy Gobert this season as the Minnesota Timberwolves look to grab a playoff berth in the Wild Western Conference. They have finished the season in the play-in tournament spots for the last two seasons and looking at the competition in the West, they need to turn it up a notch this year or else they might find themselves in a similar position.

Rudy Gobert, specifically, has faced a lot of slander due to his lack of offensive talent and inability to perform in the playoffs. However, the Timberwolves organization took a huge risk in signing Gobert and his play will be under a microscope this year.