Ricky Rubio He will train with Barça basketball starting this Tuesday. This was reported by the player himself, reporting that “the time has come to enter the final phase of my recovery.”
Last summer, the El Masnou point guard decided to temporarily stop his professional career due to mental health. His career in the NBA ended on January 4, once he separated contractually from the Cleveland Cavaliers. Now, he assures that he sees himself “with desire and strength to see how I react with a ball in my hands” and has asked FC Barcelona to join the training discipline “without commitment”.
He was a Barça player between 2009 and 2011 and, after 12 seasons in the United States, he will return to the Palau Blaugrana to train under the instructions of Roger Grimau. Thus, the 33-year-old player will participate this Tuesday in the team training prior to the important match Barça – Virtus Segafredo Bologna which will be played at the Palau this Wednesday (8:30 p.m.).
Ricky Rubio’s statement
Very good to all.
I wanted to inform you from these lines that the time has come to enter the final phase of my recovery.
I’ve been thinking about it for a few weeks and, after many weeks working on my mind and body, I feel eager and strong to see how I react with a ball in my hands.
My next step has been to ask FC Barcelona if I could, without any commitment and without interrupting their season plans, train with them. Thank you in advance for your help and understanding with my situation.
Finally, I wanted to thank all the people who have shown me their respect and support throughout this process, as well as thank you for respecting my privacy along this path.
Eight titles and 140 games with Barça
In the two seasons at ‘Can Barça’, Ricky Rubio won eight titles: two Catalan Leagues, two Super Cups, two Copas del Rey, one ACB League (10/11) and one Euroleague (09/10).
The second Euroleague in Barça’s history was won by the then captain Roger Grimau, who is now the coach. From that team that won the second continental trophy, he will now also coincide with the current manager Juan Carlos Navarro and the assistant coach Víctor Sada.
In total, at Barça he played 140 official matches (84 in the ACB, 42 in the Euroleague, 6 in the Copa del Rey, 4 in the Super Cup and 4 in the Catalan League).
The American dream
Born in 1990 in the Barcelona town of El Masnou, Ricky Rubio arrived at FC Barcelona in 2009 when he was only 19 years old and after being the 5th chosen in the Draft that same year. Trained at El Masnou and at Joventut de Badalona, where he debuted in the ACB at just 14 years old, he arrived at the Palau as an established figure and left with even more foundations to succeed in the NBA, where he has played 712 games in 12 seasons with Minnesota Timberwolves, Utah Jazz, Phoenix Suns and Cleveland Cavaliers.
In an American period marked by two serious injuries to his left knee (2012 and 2021), Ricky Rubio has left his mark in the NBA, being the best player in the league in stolen balls in the 2012/13, 2013/14 and 2015 seasons / 16 and establishing himself as a figure in world basketball.
International glory
With the Spanish team, Ricky Rubio has accumulated more than a decade of great achievements where he has also demonstrated his quality. After being a fixture in the youth categories, he debuted with the senior team at the Beijing Olympic Games (silver). Since then, he has played 157 international matches, being the MVP of the World Cup won in 2019.
In total, he has won seven medals: gold in the 2009 and 2011 European Championships, gold in the 2019 World Cup, silver in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing and bronze in the 2013 and 2017 European Championships and in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.