The drama began when center Rudy Gobert and Kyle Anderson were engaged in a discussion during a timeout when suddenly, Gobert punched Anderson and all hell broke loose on the Timberwolves bench.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported that Gobert was overheard saying Shut the f*** up, bitch, before he punched Anderson. The report also said that Anderson had told Gobert to block some shots and he responded by telling Anderson to grab a rebound.
Later, the team announced that Gobert was out for the remainder of the game. Multiple reports said that the team had sent Gobert home.
Yahoo Sports posted a video of the scuffle on their Twitter account.
Tim Connelly, Minnesota president, confirmed that they had sent Gobert home.
We made the decision to send Rudy Gobert home after the incident in the second quarter,” he said. “His behavior on the bench was unacceptable and we will continue handling the situation internally.
Earlier, Gobert was quoted saying:
Kyle (Anderson) wants to win and sometimes he’s a little aggressive in the way he talks, but I don’t take it personally.”
“I receive it in a positive way because it comes from a place of wanting me to be the best Rudy I can be and wanting us to win. I love his competitiveness, love the way he plays the game. The way he makes others around him better. He’s been a huge part of this year.”
Gobert later apologized for the incident on Twitter saying:
Emotions got the best of me today. I should not have reacted the way I did regardless of what was said. I wanna apologize to the fans, the organization, and particularly to Kyle, who is someone that I truly love and respect as a teammate.
That wasnt the only punch thrown on Sunday. Cameras also captured Jarden McDaniels punching a wall in the tunnel. He immediately grabbed his hand after.
The Timberwolves later announced that he would be out for the remainder of the game. Wojnarowski later reported that McDaniels had fractured his hand after punching the wall.