Minnesota Timberwolves bigman Rudy Gobert is accused of dumping his pregnant girlfriend just as the NBA Playoffs were getting into full swing.
The 7-foot-1-inch center reportedly gave the boot to Julia Bonilla, the mother of his 1-year-old son, Romeo, sometime in the last month after learning a second baby was on the way, according to TMZ. Gobert allegedly told her to move out of his house and take their son with her.
Bonilla addressed the situation in a lengthy post on social media, calling it “one of the most painful times in my life.”
“I considered Rudy the love of my life. I left everything for him. I gave him a child and poured my heart into our relationship,” she wrote on her Instagram Story, proactively shutting down any assumptions that cheating was a factor.
“I NEVER EVER been unfaithful to the father of my children,” she said.
According to TMZ, sources said Bonilla wants to return to her native France, but Gobert has asked that she stay in the U.S. to figure out custody of their son after the Timberwolves’ season comes to an end.
The Wolves’ beat the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday to advance to the Western Conference Finals, where they’ll play the winner of Sunday’s game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Denver Nuggets. Game 7 of the NBA Finals is scheduled to be played June 22.
Gobert is a three-time NBA All-Star who’s been named Defensive Player of the Year four times, though casual fans might know him as the guy who may have passed COVID-19 onto his teammates at the start of the pandemic.
While playing for the Utah Jazz in 2020, Gobert jokingly touched a string of microphones awaiting his team at a press conference. Days later, he tested positive for the highly contagious virus that almost immediately suspended league play.
Originally Published: May 16, 2025 at 9:08 PM EDT
