Rudy Gobert Talks His Anime and NBA Influenced Graphic Novel BASH! (Exclusive)
Anime and basketball collide in BASH!, a new graphic novel from NBA star Rudy Gobert. His many accolades include being a four-time All-NBA team member and a three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year with his former team the Utah Jazz. Gobert is currently a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves, but his next challenge isn't on the hardwood court: it's the competitive book market. Gobert and artist Vince Serrano collaborated on BASH!, an anime-influenced basketball adventure that should appeal to both young adult and Gen Z readers alike. It mixes Gobert's love of basketball and anime/manga, and debuted earlier this month from Titan Comics.
ComicBook.com had the opportunity to speak to Rudy Gobert via email to learn more about the world of BASH!, which stars a young poor kid named Rudy from planet Nelilia, who dreams of being a star player of BASH – a brutal, high-octane, intergalactic version of basketball, whose players are rockstars, legends, and gods. The former NBA Defensive Player of the Year discusses some of the lessons he learned in making his first comic book, some of his biggest influences, how his NBA teammates would fare in the BASH! world, and if there is potential to tell even more stories in the universe down the road.
Lessons Learned
ComicBook.com: Going through the whole process of creating BASH!, were there any lessons you took away on crafting an original tale for the comics medium that you've applied to your professional life?
Rudy Gobert: This was an amazing creative process. We spent a lot of hours with the creative team exchanging ideas or just simply getting to know each other. For example, our main illustrator is from the Philippines. Basketball is pretty big over there. I've learned a lot from these guys. As NBA players, we're sometimes a little shielded from the outside World. This entire process has given me the opportunity to appreciate the passion for our sport from a few more cultural perspectives.
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What are some of the anime/manga influences that resonated with you when it came time to build the story?
I have always been a big fan of anime: the Shonen particularly, from One Piece to Naruto. All these amazing characters are often underestimated to begin with. They have a strong will and powerful dreams. They never quit although they fail quite a few times before succeeding, and ultimately helping people around them. Those values stuck with me, in my own personal journey. As a skinny kid coming from a small town in France, it's safe to say that I've been overlooked many times. I wasn't very good but I got better and better. That is also why I want kids to stick to their dreams. Resilience is definitely what makes these anime characters so special.
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Teammates in the World of BASH!
Do you have any teammates past and/or present that you could envision being a supporting character in the world of BASH!?
I don't want to spoil too much, but of course, many characters are loosely inspired by people around me or even basketball legends that I grew up idolizing. We've left a few hints here and there that are pretty easy to recognize. As the story progresses, readers will more so discover an intergalactic version of our sport that makes it pretty innovative and entertaining.
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Book One ends with the tease of even more stories to come. How far ahead do you have the story mapped out, and when can fans expect the follow-up?
I really want these characters to expand, grow and learn more about themselves. This will surely take a few more episodes. We're hoping for a Book II as early as next year. I'm very excited about all of the crazy adventures that are still to come. All the ingredients are there: dedication, struggle, friendship, and of course lots of action [laughs].
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