OLYMPIC basketball got off to a great start today as hosts France took on Brazil.
And fans loved seeing Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert get dunked early.
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The four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year is known as Stifle Tower thanks to his brilliant blocking.
But Brazil’s João Cardoso paid no heed to that reputation with a monumental dunk.
Gobert was thrown onto the pitch and fans rushed to social media to celebrate the viral clip.
“There’s really nothing that brings the entire planet together like Rudy Gobert getting dunked,” one commented.
“Our closest thing to international peace.”
“Amen to that,” added another.
“I still hate him for getting that DPOY over Simmons when he didn’t deserve it,” replied a third.
Brazil started well and led 12-5 after Memphis Grizzlies star Cardoso put Gobert into a tackle.
His teammates went wild celebrating the emphatic moment.
But NBA phenom Victor Wembanyama soon took control of the game and led France to a 78-66 victory.
He finished with 19 points and nine rebounds.
Team USA faces Serbia tomorrow as the favorites begin their campaign.
Coach Steve Kerr laid down the law on his players after a film session highlighted their lack of effort.
The star-studded squad narrowly avoided a scare against South Sudan before beating Germany in the warm-up in London.
And ahead of Sunday’s Olympic opener against Serbia in Paris, Kerr put the team through the most brutal training session ever.
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“That’s what today is about. It’s the reminder. The time has come. We are here,” he said.
“So it’s 40 minutes of strength, attention and focus.
“We cannot allow teams to surpass us in terms of effort and energy, like we did the other night against Germany, like we did against South Sudan.”
Team USA is the big favorite in Paris, with an incredibly large squad.
But Kerr – a four-time Olympic champion as a player – wanted to emphasize how easy a surprise exit in the qualifiers can be.
“It’s literally six games, and watching the tape, we’re going through some belongings,” Kerr said.
“We’re not going to hit bodies in boxouts. And so it’s time. It’s time to focus on that.”
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
