Rudy Gobert surprised fans in February 2024 by announcing he would be a father; with that, the world got to know Julia Bonilla. This announcement was made through an Instagram post that he captioned “Legacy. 🙏🏽❤️🐉” She is a creative professional who has been by his side through big moments both on and off the court.
Like him, Bonilla is from France. According to her blog, she is from Paris. She also hosts a podcast called “Journey,” where she shares her personal life and experiences. Bonilla’s other job is as an artistic director and agent.
Bonilla Supported Gobert Throughout the Entire 2024 Season
Bonilla vehemently supported Gobert and came forward to defend him when he was voted as the second-most overrated NBA player in 2024. In April that year, The Athletic conducted a poll with 142 NBA players, questioning “Who’s the league’s most overrated player?” 13.6% of players chose Gobert.
But Bonilla was not happy at all. She shared how she feels about that and wrote on Instagram, “Deserves all the respect. It’s hard for me to stay quiet in front of so much stupidity, disrespect and nonsense, I am so proud of the person he is — fair, a great teammate, with a good heart and a strong mind. I am proud of you, and our son is proud of you.”
Although Bonilla and Gobert have otherwise kept their relationship mostly under the wraps, last year, Gobert shared a moment when he took Bonilla and his teammates to a game in Utah, and from there, he took her hiking in her favourite place.
Regarding this trip, he has also shared how he feels during a chat with KSL sports, he said, “My girlfriend is here for the first time so we showed her the little hike that I used to go all the time, It was hard for her because she’s pregnant but she really enjoyed it and she knows how much it means to me and how much Utah is a part of me so it was cool.”
Birth of His Son and Its Impact on Game 2 vs. Denver Nuggets in 2024
On May 6, 2024, they had their first child. On that same day, the Timberwolves played a playoff game, which he chose to sit out on because he was with his girlfriend. He faces severe criticism for this.
It was game 2 of the Timberwolves’ second-round series against the Denver Nuggets, and his decision led people to mock him with comments like, “It’s a baby, bro. It’s gonna be there when you get back, we hope”. Even Gilbert Arenas didn’t appreciate this decision and said, “I’m just saying, the baby, whatever you think you about to do, he’s going to be asleep.” on his youtube series.
