After taking a leave of absence from the Cleveland Cavaliers to address his mental health, 12 year NBA veteran Ricky Rubio has announced his retirement from professional basketball.
“One day, when the time is right, I would love to share my full experience with you all so I can help support others going through similar situations. Until then, I would like to keep it private out of respect for my family and myself, as I’m still working on my mental health,” Rubio wrote in a social media post. “But I’m proud to say I’m doing much better and getting better everyday.”
In a corresponding move, Rubio’s camp and the Cavaliers have agreed to a contract buyout which will give Cleveland some financial flexibility, while also freeing up a roster spot. Over the course of his career, the Spaniard averaged 10.8pts/7.4ast per game for the Cavs, Suns, Jazz, and Timberwolves.
The 33 year old has missed large portions of the last few seasons due to a variety of injuries including the 2nd torn ACL of his career. After returning midseason in 2022-23, he saw his usage dip to career lows, while posting 5.2 points and 3.5 assists per game as a rotational player.
After debuting in the Spanish ACB League at the age of 14, Rubio was taken 5th overall by the Timberwolves in the 2009 NBA Draft. After making the NBA All-Rookie team in 2012, and dominating the European basketball scene, expectations were high for the pass first point guard in Minnesota.
Unfortunately Rubio never found the same level of success in North America as he did in Europe where he earned dozens of FIBA and EuroLeague awards as a teenager. While the NBA portion of his career is officially over, the former basketball prodigy hasn’t closed the door on a return to Spanish basketball in the future.
While it remains possible that his overseas career will eventually resume, Rubio re-iterated that his current focus is on his mental health, and that basketball will resume only after he and his family are in a good place physically and mentally.
Photo: Christopher Johnson. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.