“Congratulations brother !!”: Donovan Mitchell, Austin Rivers and other NBA players sing praise of Rudy Gobert’s soon-to-be father news

Rudy Gobert is set to be a father. The Minnesota Timberwolves big took to Instagram to share the news of having a baby with his girlfriend Julia Bonilla. The couple broke the news with a picture of him palming her growing tummy and a crisp one-word caption to boot. Bonilla, though, had a more emotional line to add.

The news saw Gobert's fellow NBA stars take to social media to congratulate him. The list includes former Utah Jazz mate Donovan Mitchell. Austin Rivers and ESPN's Tim MacMahon shared messages on Gobert's post as well.

You can have a look at the post below:

The former DPOY's post has garnered over 48,000 likes on Instagram.

Rudy Gobert had congratulatory messages pouring in.

It's not clear how long Gobert and Bonilla have been dating. The couple has been private about their relationship, but they were pictured spending the Christmas holidays together in Minnesota.

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Rudy Gobert was snubbed for the All-Star Game this season

Given his defensive play, the three-time DPOY snubbed for the ASG this season came as a massive surprise.

His teammates Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns cut reserves instead. On news of Rudy Gobert not being selected for the marquee event, Towns reached out to him, and the former had quite the response.

"You don't have to feel bad. At my Hall of Fame speech, I'll be able to joke about how many times I got to enjoy some extra vacation because I got snubbed for the All Star game."

This season, Gobert is averaging 13.6 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks across 48 games. His impressive play as the defensive anchor has made the Timberwolves one of the more feared teams in the West as they occupy the top spot in the conference.

Gobert is a three-time All-Star, but his efforts this season didn't see a nomination. One way of looking at it is that the center is getting some much-needed rest as Minnesota stakes its claim for a first-seed playoff berth this season.

With the team well on their way to the postseason, it remains to be seen if Gobert can continue his dominance in the playoffs. Rudy Gobert and the T-Wolves take on another DPOY contender in Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks when they resume their regular season after the All-Star break.