Massive Notre Dame Fire ‘Tough To Watch’ For Rudy Gobert
Apr 16, 2019, 6:07 PM | Updated: Apr 17, 2019, 12:11 pm
Rudy Gobert #27 of the Utah Jazz dunks on Clint Capela #15 of the Houston Rockets during the fourth quarter during Game One of the first round of the 2019 NBA Western Conference Playoffs between the Houston Rockets and the Utah Jazz at Toyota Center on April 14, 2019 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)
(Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Utah Jazz french center Rudy Gobert was asked about the fire to the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris on Tuesday.
The seven-footer said that it was “tough to watch, it is one of the most iconic buildings in history. It has a lot of value,” he said.
A fire swept across the top of the Notre Dame Cathedral while the soaring Paris landmark was under renovations Monday, collapsing its spire and threatening one of the world’s greatest architectural treasures as locals and tourists watched aghast from the streets.
“It’s great that they were able to save some of it,” Gobert said.
The French president pledged to rebuild a cathedral that he called “a part of us” and appealed for help to do so. The 12th-century church is home to relics, stained glass and other incalculable works of art and is a leading tourist attraction, immortalized by Victor Hugo’s 1831 novel “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.”
Gobert is in his fifth season in the NBA, all with the Utah Jazz. He was named NBA Defensive Player of the Year last season.
The Paris prosecutor’s office said it was treating the fire as an accident, ruling out arson and possible terror-related motives, at least for now. French media quoted the Paris fire brigade as saying the fire was “potentially linked” to a 6 million euro ($6.8 million) renovation project on the spire and its 500 tons of wood and 250 tons of lead.
