SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — This West Coast city is a popular tourist attraction that, with its Mediterranean-like climate, has been called the "American Riviera."
Thus, you'd think a Frenchman like Rudy Gobert would feel right at home and love to spend time here.
But after what happened to him on Monday, you can probably scratch Santa Barbara off Gobert's favorite places to travel.
The 7-foot-1 center, who is heading into his second season with the Utah Jazz, suffered appendicitis on Monday while working out with teammates at the P3 training facility. After visiting a local hospital, Gobert underwent surgery to have his appendix removed Monday evening.
He was scheduled to fly home to Salt Lake City on Tuesday night. A timeline for when he will be allowed to return to basketball-related activities will be determined at a later date.
In April, Gobert completed his NBA rookie season with the Jazz, appearing in 45 games and averaging 2.3 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. The 21-year-old center was selected in the first round (27th overall pick) of the 2013 NBA draft.
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