Rudy Gobert is an NBA player who plays for Minnesota Timberwolves and former Utah Jazz. He racked up some achievements and recognition from the industry such as three-time NBA defensive player of the year, 2020 Olympic silver medalist, and a four-time All-NBA team member. However, his career doesn’t maintain and prolong on the basketball court. He embarks on his new career journey in the book writing industry.
His latest work has made a surprising yet welcome inspiration for anime and basketball to his graphic novel BASH!. This proves that anime has already reached far and made a significant impact on notable people like Rudy Gobert as an NBA star.
What is BASH! all about
BASH! features the story of a young kid named Rudy, who lives in a poor neighborhood on planet Nenelia. He has a dream of being a BASH star. BASH is a sci-fi intergalactic basketball that even involves players such as gods, rockstars, and legends across the cosmos.
An anime fan can already recognize the familiarity of the concept and buildup of the story because of how it resonates with the typical Shounen genre formula in anime. It is no wonder Rudy Gobert’s work is indeed influenced by anime and NBA. According to Rudy, he had an amazing creative process as he talks to the team from different places and cultures exchanging views and ideas. Hence, making him appreciative of people’s passion for his sports from different cultures.
What are the things that influence BASH!
Anime definitely played a huge part in influencing his latest work. However, which anime in particular? It’s Naruto and One Piece. He likes the schtick of amazing characters with huge dreams and they are often underestimated in the beginning. Though these characters encounter numerous failures, they eventually reach their dreams and ambition because of how they are built.
He resonates with these anime characters because he has a similar experience and journey. He used to be a skinny kid living in a humble town in France. He wasn’t that good at basketball but he became better until he reached the highest competitive stage which is the NBA.
Image source and references: Rudy Gobert Talks His Anime and NBA Influenced Graphic Novel BASH! (Exclusive) (comicbook.com)