NBA star Rudy Gobert has endorsed Donald Trump’s appointment as Health Secretary ahead of the newly elected president’s return to the White House.
As the clock ticks toward his Jan. 20 inauguration, Trump has already begun quickly filling the spots up for grabs in his Cabinet and the West Wing. And among the many appointments, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. became one of the most influential men in healthcare.
The Trump rival-turned-endorser has been named as the president-elect for Secretary of Health and Human Services.
The announcement sent shockwaves through the public health sector due to Kennedy’s controversial positions on health.
However, amid criticism of his appointment, Kennedy, JFK’s cousin, found support in the NBA.
Gobert, a center for the Minnesota Timberwolves, supported the anti-vaxxer on social media.
Rudy Gobert (left) has approved the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (right) by Donald Trump as Secretary of Health and Human Services
Gobert, a center for the Minnesota Timberwolves, endorsed the anti-vaxxer
“Let’s go @RobertKennedyJr,” the French player posted on Elon Musk’s X, formerly known as Twitter, along with a praying emoji.
The post caused a liberal meltdown among basketball fans online, with many criticizing Gobert for his support.
“I knew I hated you for a reason,” one irate NBA fan responded, while another added, “Boy are you stupid.”
Some outraged NBA fans were baffled by Gobert’s support of Kennedy — a renowned anti-vaxxer — given the Covid-related stunt’s own headline-grabbing stunt.
In March 2020, early in the pandemic, Gobert, a four-time Defensive Player of the Year award winner, jokingly touched every microphone after a press conference.
A few days after the blunder, Gobert, who played for the Utah Jazz at the time, tested positive for the virus.
The NBA then suspended all games on March 11 as the virus spread across the country and the world and Gobert faced a barrage of criticism for his reckless antics.
“You were literally NBA patient zero,” one fan hit back in response to Gobert’s support of Kennedy, while another echoed the sentiment, sharing, “Maybe you better get this one out of patient 0.”
In March 2020, the NBA center jokingly touched every microphone during a press conference before testing positive for Covid-19 just days later
‘NBA COVID patient 0 endorses RFK Jr.’s choice A radiant show of support,” a third joked sarcastically.
“The man who started the COVID outbreak in the NBA bubble is supporting RFK,” another stunned fan wrote.
“Covid superspreader is an RFK fan. I mean, the jokes write themselves,” someone chimed in.
Others referenced the December 2023 altercation that occurred between Gobert and Draymond Green when the Warriors star deadlocked Gobert during a game between Golden State and Minnesota.
“I knew Draymond Green hated you for a reason,” one social media user claimed, while another wrote, “Draymond didn’t do enough.”
“@Money23Green we ask you to do God’s work again……Not during the game though,” a third wrote, calling out Green directly.
The HHS cabinet-level appointment of RFK Jr. immediately sent shockwaves through the public health sector – as Kennedy is a prominent anti-vaxxer and has pushed conspiracy theories on a number of health-related topics.
While Kennedy may be a tough sell for Senate confirmation due to his staunch anti-vaccination stance, a slew of potential hard sells have emerged in recent days — such as Tulsi Gabbard, Pete Heckseth and Matt Gaetz — that could be a tough sell for him. to make. to reject the Republican-controlled new Senate.
The Frenchman’s post caused a liberal meltdown among basketball fans online
Kennedy said the weekend before the election that Trump had promised him “control over” public health agencies.
“The key, which President Trump has promised me, is control of the public health agencies, namely HHS and its subagencies, CDC, FDA, NIH and a few others,” RFK Jr. said. during a Zoom call with supporters.
One of his first policies, Kennedy said, would be to advise all public water systems in the U.S. to remove fluoride from the water.
At his rallies, Trump has touted Kennedy’s focus on healthy eating – RFK Jr. recently took a stab at the president-elect’s penchant for fast food like McDonald’s — saying he would “let go” of the former independent presidential candidate’s oversight.
Kennedy, a former Democrat who is the son of the late U.S. Attorney General and Senator Robert F. Kennedy and the nephew of President John F. Kennedy, both of whom were assassinated in the 1960s, has been touted for several leadership roles in the field of healthcare. the new administration.