Earlier this year, Spanish point guard Ricky Rubio announced his retirement from the NBA after 12 seasons in the United States. Recently, the former Cleveland Cavaliers star has joined a new basketball team, making a return to professional play.
Rubio’s career has spanned both European and NBA leagues. He began his professional career with Joventut Badalona in Spain’s Liga ACB in 2005, becoming the youngest player to ever compete in the league at just 14 years old. He later played for Barcelona from 2009 to 2011 before being drafted fifth overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2009 NBA Draft, becoming the first player born in the 1990s to be drafted by an NBA team. He was part of the same draft class as Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry.
Rubio spent six seasons with the Timberwolves, mostly alongside one-time NBA champion Kevin Love, before being traded to the Utah Jazz in 2017, where he played for two years. He had a brief stint with the Phoenix Suns in 2019-2020 before returning to the Timberwolves for the 2020-2021 season. In 2021, Rubio was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers, where he played until 2024 and acted as a mentor to rising star Darius Garland.
In August 2023, Rubio announced he was taking a break from basketball to prioritize his mental health, and on January 4, 2024, he announced his retirement from the NBA. Throughout his career, Rubio has earned numerous accolades, including being named the FIBA World Cup MVP in 2019 while representing the Spanish national team.
After leaving the NBA earlier this year, Rubio is reportedly joining Joventut Barcelona, 15 years after his previous stint with the team, as mentioned in an article published on Basketnews. However, Rubio refuted this development.
Following the second half of last season in Palau Blaugrana, the experienced Spanish point guard is returning to Joventut Badalona, according to Jordi Valle Simo of EFE Deportes. “Ricky Rubio says ‘yes’ to Joventut, and his return home 15 years later is about to become a reality,” as reported. However, Rubio later refuted this report, tweeting, “What a busy day you’ve given me, Jordi. I hope the next one is for telling the truth.”
Over the course of his NBA career, Rubio has averaged 10.8 points, 4.1 rebounds, 7.4 assists, and 1.8 steals per game. If he returns to play for Joventut, those numbers are expected to stay within that range.
Whether Rubio comes back to play in Spain or stays retired, it’s undeniable how much his game can impact Joventut for the better. If he does play, the former Cleveland star will surely excel on the court sooner rather than later.
