That was crazy. That was crazy. I was surprised — in the middle of Paris. What can I say? It’s crazy, nothing you can do. It’s over now and I hope it’s going to stop, calm down. – Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz center and native of Paris, France
OKLAHOMA CITY — Rudy Gobert is playing basketball for a living in the United States, but Wednesday's terrorist act in France hit very close to home for him.
As in right in the middle of his hometown.
Gobert, who's from Paris, tweeted his sadness over the Charles Hebdo massacre, which resulted in 12 people being shot to death by masked assailants at a satirical French magazine's headquarters on Wednesday.
"Just sad to see the acts so horrible in France," Gobert wrote in French on his Twitter account. He added a hashtag that translated to, "Think of the families."
On Thursday, Gobert posted a thought-provoking cartoon, showing a gunman standing over a dead person lying prone on the ground. A bubble quote showed the gunman, holding a still-smoking automatic rifle, saying, "He drew first."
Gobert admitted to being stunned it happened in his country.
"That was crazy. That was crazy," Gobert said Thursday in Chicago. "I was surprised — in the middle of Paris. What can I say? It’s crazy, nothing you can do. It’s over now and I hope it’s going to stop, calm down."
The 22-year-old, who's playing in his second NBA season, spoke to his sister in France after the shooting. His mom is currently in Utah.
Gobert agreed that it was inspiring to watch thousands of Parisians rally in the streets and to see the supportive #JeSuisCharlie (I Am Charlie) hashtag go viral after the tragedy.
"It shows that we count on each other and that we care — we care about it, we want to make it better," Gobert said. "It’s a great thing."
French player Nicolas Batum of the Portland Trail Blazers wore a "Je Suis Charlie" T-shirt before Thursday's game against the Heat.
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