Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert took an interest in one of Aaron Rodgers' most publicized offseason endeavors last year.

Per ESPN's Tim MacMahon, Gobert reached out to Rodgers last summer to seek "insight" about his experience at a darkness retreat.

"We are so distracted by everything that's been thrown at us," Gobert told MacMahon about his desire to get away from all of the noise that came out during his first season in Minnesota. "Everything that we hear, we watch, we see on the phone, we listen to. So we don't get to sometimes really be alone with ourselves."

As Rodgers was uncertain about his playing future in the NFL, he revealed in February 2023 that he was going on a darkness retreat to contemplate things.

It was later revealed Rodgers stayed at Sky Cave Dark Resorts in Oregon. Scott Berman, who owns the facility, told ESPN's Xuan Thai the room Rodgers stayed in is partially underground and 300 square feet with a queen bed, bathroom and meditation-style mat on the floor.

The room doesn't have any light shining in, but it is fully powered and able to be turned on from the inside at any time.

Upon emerging from the darkness, Rodgers said on The Pat McAfee Show he was initially 90 percent leaning toward retirement before deciding to play in 2023 after his retreat.

Rodgers was later traded from the Green Bay Packers to the New York Jets.

MacMahon noted Gobert reserved a spot in the darkness in May 2023 and "spent 64 hours by himself in a small cabin in the pitch black—no phones, no books, no distractions—all alone with his thoughts and the sounds of nature."

Gobert has been one of the most scrutinized players in the NBA throughout his career. He was the last pick of the 2021 All-Star draft.

In an anonymous poll of current players conducted by The Athletic's Sam Amick and Josh Robbins that was released on Monday, Gobert was voted most overrated with 13.6 percent of the vote from 81 votes cast.

When the Timberwolves acquired Gobert from the Utah Jazz for a package of four players, four first-round draft picks and a pick swap, it was pilloried by fans and analysts.

ESPN's Kevin Pelton gave Minnesota a D grade, citing the volume of draft picks and "how expensive Minnesota's core will quickly become" because Anthony Edwards was coming due for a supermax extension that has since been signed and Karl-Anthony Towns already signed his supermax deal that kicks in with the 2024-25 season.

Gobert is far from a perfect player, but he does have far more of a positive impact than you would think given how often he gets criticized. The 31-year-old is likely going to win his record-tying fourth Defensive Player of the Year award for this season.

The Timberwolves earned the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference and won the second-most games in a single season in franchise history (56) this season thanks in part to having the best defense in the NBA anchored by Gobert.

If a little journey into the darkness is all it took to make Gobert more comfortable with the Timberwolves, the results on the court certainly speak to how effective it seems to be.