Cavs’ Ricky Rubio to Take Mental Break From Basketball

At 32-years-old, Cavs’ guard Ricky Rubio has made a decision to take an indefinite break from the game of basketball.

Rubio announced in a statement, “I have decided to stop my professional activity to take care of my mental health. I want to thank all the support I have received from the (Spanish basketball federation) to understand my decision.” 

Rubio has been playing professional ball since 2005, when he made his debut in the Spanish ACB League at only 14 years of age. The kid from Spain was ahead of his time, for he went on to play in the EuroLeague at the age of 16, and had gotten drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves at 18 years old. Throughout Rubio’s NBA career, he has played for four different teams (Minnesota Timberwolves, Utah Jazz, Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers) over the course of 12 seasons.

In addition, as a player for the Spain national basketball team, Rubio has appeared both in the Olympics and the World Cup three times.

The timing of this decision, to temporarily step away from the game of basketball, comes soon before Spain is set to defend its world championship at the FIBA World Cup.

Notably, Rubio was the MVP of the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup in China and led Spain to their second championship with an undefeated 8-0 record in the tournament. 

With attention to Rubio’s availability for the NBA season, the Cleveland Cavaliers GM, Koby Altman put out a statement, “We were informed today by Ricky and his representation, that he has decided to step away from his illustrious basketball career to focus on his mental health at this time. We understand how difficult of a decision this was for him and will balance providing whatever support we can while simultaneously respecting Ricky’s request for privacy.” 

Due to injury, the Cavs’ veteran point guard has not seen the court much these past two seasons. During the 2021-2022 season, Rubio was off to a great start with his new team, averaging 13.1 points, 6.6 assists, 4.1 rebounds, after being reunited with his Timberwolves counterpart Kevin Love. Unfortunately, on December 29, 2021, in a game against the New Orleans Pelicans, Rubio’s best performance as a Cleveland Cavalier came to a halt, as Rubio tore his left ACL while driving to the basket late in the 4th quarter.

Markedly, before getting injured, he accumulated 27 points, 13 rebounds, and 9 assists in 37 minutes. Rubio has appeared in 36 games since that injury, with most of his playing time coming as a reserve with limited minutes at the end of last season.

As Rubio takes time to focus on his mental health, many fans hope to have him back in uniform sometime in the future. Regardless, even if Rubio were to never pick up a basketball again, there is no denying the impact and footprint he has left behind throughout his 18-year professional basketball career.

Coming into the league as one of best young international prospects of all-time, Rubio’s name will always be mentioned as one of the greatest Spanish players to ever play. 

#Cavs’ Koby Altman on Ricky Rubio: “We were informed today by Ricky and his representation that he has decided to step away from his illustrious basketball career to focus on his mental health at this time. We understand how difficult of a decision this was for him and will… pic.twitter.com/Y8OpetFVzD

— Sam Amico (@AmicoHoops) August 5, 2023