Rudy Gobert is nominated again for the Defensive Player of the Year Award after helping lead the Minnesota Timberwolves to a third-place finish in the Western Conference standings.
If he wins, he will receive his fourth DPOY, joining an elite circle of the most Defensive Player of the Year wins in league history.
The other two players who won it four times are Dikembe Mutombo and Ben Wallace.
While the NBA media recognizes his role in the Wolves' run, his fellow players don't.
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The French center was voted as the Most Overrated Player by NBA players in an anonymous poll conducted by The Athletic.
He received 13.6 of the 81 cast votes, prompting
his media-shy girlfriend, Julia Bonilla, to defend him against those demeaning his talent.
"My partner is the most dedicated, focused, hard-working person I have ever met," Bonilla said as reported by TMZ.
"He hasn't stolen anything from anyone and deserves all the respect for his determination and commitment to his career.
She also called out those who disrespect her partner and expressed how proud she is of the three-time All-Star.
"It's hard for me to stay quiet in front of so much stupidity, disrespect, and nonsense," she added.
"I am so proud of the person he is - fair, a great teammate, with a good heart and a strong mind."
This is one of the rare times that Bonilla came out and got herself some attention from the NBA community.
Rudy Gobert, girlfriend, both hail from France
Gobert and Bonilla are both from France, but she is someone whose job is away from the spotlight.
She is spotted in Gobert's games, and they now live together in Minnesota.
Bonilla is a private person, with her Instagram account set in private. She currently has 12.8k followers.
Over their social media profiles, the couple rarely posts each other, which is why many fans were surprised to hear about their pregnancy news on Instagram last February.
"Legacy," Gobert stated in the caption.
"Future DPOY," a user commented.
This must be the reason Gobert is having a sensational season.
Bonilla, 25 years old, is running a podcast titled "Journey," wherein, according to the show, she serves as an artistic director.
She serves as the podcast's co-host, co-editor, creator, and director.
According to its About page, the show talks about the precious moments in life.
She also described herself as an "activist for happiness," an advocate for development, and never giving up.
Among her notable guests in the show was Love Island's Marvin Anthony, who discussed becoming the "World's favorite Frenchie."
It is unknown when they started dating, but Gobert was with comedian Hannah Stocking.
Right now, there are no public plans for a wedding, and they will probably surprise everyone again, just like in their pregnancy announcement.
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