I find it impossible to imagine a scenario where Rudy Gobert is American and not appreciated significantly more than he is right now. Instead of his displays of emotion being set in the framing of pure competitiveness, it is looked at through the lenses of an "overdramatic pouting frenchman". I would like to have more faith in humanity but an American Rudy Gobert is a popular Rudy Gobert, with everything else being the same.

Of course, there are other reasons he is disliked. People can't always see his impact without looking for it, he plays in Utah, their favorite players and the media don't like him (may go back to xenophobia if we are being completely honest), lack of flashy offensive highlights, and the idea that he is constantly, literally and metaphorically, punching down by being 7 foot 1, taking advantage of his height to the extent that other people more talented at basketball are not in the league because Rudy Gobert uses his vertical privilege to abuse the less fortunate.

However, I am tired of pretending that him being french doesn't impact the public view of him in some way or another. People liked DeAndre Jordan in his prime, people don't like Rudy Gobert. All of his actions are forced to fit into these French stereotypes, people have a natural desire to have some level of disdain for those that are different. I am decidedly NOT going to dive into the philosophy behind xenophobia and racism in a fanspo post, but I will say that subconsciously people look at Rudy Gobert differently because of his name, his voice, and the place he was born geographically. Which obviously impacts his defensive ability.

Obviously.