Ricky Rubio opens up on brief basketball hiatus
Former NBA guard Ricky Rubio retired from the NBA earlier this season, and has since returned home to officially sign with FC Barcelona after initially practicing with them, officially inking pen to paper Monday.
Rubio took a hiatus from basketball ahead of the 2023-24 season–nearly seven months ago–due to very serious mental health struggles. He opened up about his hiatus in a press conference this week.
“I developed a chronic stress, something similar to an anxiety disorder,” he said. “I developed mechanisms that had led me to play at a high level but which were not sustainable. There is another way. Rome is reached by many paths.”
Rubio played 12 NBA seasons, his last two with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He also played with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Utah Jazz and Phoenix Suns. For his career, he averaged 10.8 points, 4.1 rebounds, 7.4 assists and 1.8 steals on 38.8 percent shooting and 32.4 percent from 3-point range.
Rubio did not feel like himself during the end of the 2022-23 season mentally, he admitted Monday.
“The player ate the person,” Rubio said. “I didn’t know who I was. It was a difficult moment for me. I had fear. You are able to handle your fears and play down them. Life is full of greys. But I have saved myself, and now I am at ease. I am proud of myself, and I give basketball a new chance.
“Still, I thought basketball was over [for me] … I kept working with myself, and I hope it helps people who are struggling. I was in the dark, but that’s how you get out of it. I live day by day. We try to control the uncontrollable, and you never know when life will take you down another path.”
He will be with FC Barcelona for the remainder of the 2023-24 Liga ACB season. They are currently 15-7, trailing only Real Madrid and Unicaja in the ACB standings.
It’s encouraging to see continued development in Rubio’s mental health, as well as him being open and honest with his struggles and the steps he’s taken toward better mental health. The 33-year-old still has juice left in him and we all wish him the best with his recovery. You never know what someone else is going through.
“I am here to contribute as much as possible this season,” Rubio said. “I’m going to go year by year. Now, I only think about this season.”
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