During the summer of last year, Rubio made the decision to end his professional career.
Nobody else could compare to Ricky Rubio in any way. The Spanish wonder boy, who began his professional career when he was only 14 years old and made his debut with the Minnesota Timberwolves when he was 21 years old in 2011, has announced that he will be retiring from the National Basketball Association.
Rubio, who is 33 years old, did not provide any specifics on his decision to leave the league. He did, however, state that additional aspects of his narrative will be revealed when the “time is right.” By stating that his mind “went to a dark place” over the summer of last year, he is revealing that he is still “working on my mental health.” This is a little opening into his universe.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Rubio had been away from the Cleveland Cavaliers in order to concentrate on his mental health. On Thursday, Rubio and the Cavaliers reached an agreement to buy out his contract.
Rubio’s personal message announcing his retirement from the NBA:
“Hello,
July 30th was one of the toughest nights of my life. My mind went to a dark place. I kind of knew I was going in that direction, but I’ve never thought I wasn’t under control of the situation. The next day, I decided to stop my professional career.
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. But I’m proud to say I’m doing much better and getting better every day.
I wanted to post this message for you today because my NBA career has come to an end. It all started on June 9, 2009, on draft night in New York. What a dream. After playing 12 years in the league, with all its ups and downs, I have collected lots of good memories and great relationships. Minnesota, Utah, Phoenix, and Cleveland. Wow. Thank you!
A special mention goes to Cleveland. My last home. I know the way things ended has been tough. I could never have imagined the year would develop this way, but you have an amazing organization, with Koby and JB, who have been extremely respectful and understanding of my situation and caring for me as a person.
Thank you all for the love and support!”
In the 2009 NBA Draft, the Timberwolves selected Rubio with the fifth overall pick, which is a well-known distinction. Following that, the Wolves selected another point guard, Johnny Flynn, with the sixth overall pick, while the Warriors selected Steph Curry with the seventh overall pick that they had.
Seven of Rubio’s twelve seasons in the National Basketball Association were spent with the Minnesota Timberwolves, where he made his debut in 2011. It was during the 2016–2017 season that he made his initial appearance, and he later came back to play 68 games during the 2020–21 season.
Additionally, he played for the Jazz for two seasons, the Suns for one year, and the Cavaliers for the final two seasons of his career on the basketball court. Rubio finished his career with a career average of 10.8 points and 7.4 assists.