Rudy Gobert Got Stung on Face by Bee from His Own Beehive, Jokes 'Sometimes There's Casualties'

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Rudy Gobert's 7-foot-1 height is perfect for life in the NBA — but it also apparently made him an easier target for one upset bee.

On Thursday, the Utah Jazz star arrived at a shootaround before the team's game against the Dallas Mavericks with noticeable swelling near his right eye.

After joking that he was beaten up by "seven guys," the 29-year-old told reporters that he was stung by one of the bees that lives in a hive at his home in Salt Lake City earlier this week.

According to CBS Sports, Gobert said the bees were agitated after he and a beekeeper recently changed their hive's queen.

Still, the three-time NBA All-Star wasn't worried about how the sting would affect him for Game 6 of their series against Dallas, saying he's "always felt great for the next few days" after being stung.

"It's actually good to get stung by a bee. There's actually some good benefits," Gobert told reporters, according to the outlet. "There's actually some treatments where people get stung on purpose."

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Fans might be surprised to hear Gobert, a three-time defensive player of the year from France, keeps a beehive at his home. But Utah is host to more than 900 native bee species, according to Utah State University.

"It's good for the environment, it's good for the landscape, the flowers, the fruits," Gobert said of why he keeps bees, according to ESPN.

"And I love honey," he added, "so I always wanted to have my own. It's great. Sometimes there's casualties."

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The tiny insects even inspired the name of the Salt Lake Bees Minor League Baseball team.

The Salt Lake Bees joined in on teasing Gobert after the incident, saying in a tweet that they had no involvement "in the terrible act" against the NBA star.

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Gobert will have more time to spend with his bees after the Jazz were eliminated from the playoffs on Thursday night with a 96-98 loss to the Mavericks.