Rudy Gobert and his girlfriend Julia Bonilla welcomed their first child together in May 2024
Rudy Gobert has had the support of his girlfriend, Julia Bonilla, throughout the 2024 NBA season.
The Minnesota Timberwolves center first made his relationship with Bonilla public in February 2024 when the two announced they were expecting a child together. Their son was born on May 6, 2024.
Other than his girlfriend’s pregnancy announcement, Gobert has kept his relationship private. Bonilla is also a private person, but she has shared parts of her life in her podcast, Journey. In April 2024, she spoke out when she came to Gobert’s defense after he was anonymously voted “most overrated” by NBA players.
“My partner is the most dedicated, focused, hard-working person I have ever met,” she wrote in an Instagram post, per TMZ. “He hasn’t stolen anything from anyone and deserves all the respect for his determination and commitment to his career.”
So who is Rudy Gobert’s girlfriend? Here’s everything to know about Julia Bonilla and her relationship with the NBA star.
Like Gobert, who also plays for the French national team, Bonilla is from France and speaks French as her first language. She hosts her podcast in French, and is also the writer of a blog, Julia BNL.
While Bonilla’s day job is as an artistic director and agent, her passion is her podcast, Journey, and her blog, Julia BNL. In one of her videos, Bonilla said since her main job is out of the limelight, she wanted to use her platform to highlight her own musings on life.
“I really wanted to speak without filters,” she said of her podcast and blog in a February 2023 episode. “Talking about the struggles, the good times, the highs and lows to be able to touch the maximum number of people.”
In February 2024, Gobert revealed he was expecting a child with Bonilla — which was also the first time he publicly announced his relationship or addressed it online.
He posted an Instagram photo of his hand on Bonilla’s pregnant belly and of himself giving her stomach a kiss, writing, “Legacy. 🙏🏽❤️🐉,” in the caption.
In March 2024, the former Utah Jazz player took a trip to Utah with Bonilla and his teammates for a game. While there, Gobert took Bonilla on one of his favorite hikes from the time he lived in the state.
“My girlfriend is here for the first time so we showed her the little hike that I used to go all the time,” he told KSL Sports. “It was hard for her because she’s pregnant but she really enjoyed it and she knows how much it means to me and how much Utah is a part of me so it was cool.”
In April 2024, The Athletic published their anonymous poll of 142 NBA players who, among other superlative questions, answered, “Who’s the league’s most overrated player?” The outlet reported that 13.6% of players voted for Gobert for the title.
Bonilla shared her disappointment in the answer on Instagram, writing that Gobert “deserves all the respect” for his work.
“It’s hard for me to stay quiet in front of so much stupidity, disrespect and nonsense,” she wrote, per TMZ. “I am so proud of the person he is — fair, a great teammate, with a good heart and a strong mind. I am proud of you, and our son is proud of you.”
A month later, on May 6, Gobert and Bonilla’s son was born — and the basketball star was on the receiving end of criticism again. On the day of his son’s birth, the Timberwolves played a playoff game, which Gobert sat out on as he was by his girlfriend’s side.
The match was Game 2 of the Timberwolves’ second-round matchup against the Denver Nuggets, and Gobert’s no-show led to some mocking from his peers, including former NBA player Gilbert Arenas.
“It’s a baby, bro. It’s gonna be there when you get back, we hope,” Arenas said on his YouTube series, Gil’s Arena, before the game. “I’m just saying, the baby, whatever you think you about to do, he’s going to be asleep.”
The way things are going, the reigning champion Nuggets may not play another game at home this season.
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