Ricky Rubio’s 12-year NBA career has officially come to an end. The Spanish guard was originally drafted fifth by the Timberwolves in 2009, joining the team in 2011 after two years with Barcelona, before spending more than a decade stateside with Minnesota, Utah, Phoenix, and Cleveland.
Rubio averaged 10.8 points and 7.4 assists per game over his career, but saw injuries derail his last two seasons with the Cavaliers. Then, this summer, Rubio announced he was stepping away from basketball indefinitely to deal with his mental health. On Thursday, word broke that the Cavs and Rubio had reached an agreement on a contract buyout, with Rubio releasing a statement early in the afternoon explaining a bit of what he went through this summer and confirming that he was in fact retiring from the NBA.
— Ricky Rubio (@rickyrubio9) January 4, 2024
It is good to hear that Rubio is doing well now, and hopefully that continues and he finds his peace away from the basketball court with his family. As he notes, eventually he hopes to be able to share in more detail what that “dark place” he mentions was and the work he’s put in (and continues to do) to work his way out of it and improve his mental health in order to provide some guidance and support for others who may find themselves in a similar situation. In the meantime, he will continue to focus on his mental wellbeing and move into the next chapter of his life outside of basketball.