Ricky Rubio retires after 12-year NBA career due to mental health: ‘I would like to keep it private’

The time has finally come for Ricky Rubio to retire from professional basketball, after months of speculation about his condition and mental health. As soon as news emerged about the player reaching a contract buyout with the Cavaliers, he made his personal announcement on social media.

The 33-year-old, who needed to take some time off for the NBA after a traumatizing incident occurred this summer, decided put an end to his 12-year career this Thursday. Ever since that very mysterious situation happened in July, the athlete mentioned he needed time away to heal.

After the Cleveland franchise agreed to buy out the veteran guard’s $6.1 million contract this week, Ricky shared that he’s “doing much better and getting better every day” but that his NBA journey “has come to an end.”

Ricky Rubio has spent OVER HALF his life playing pro basketball 😱 pic.twitter.com/fSBYF31VuA

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 4, 2024

Another reason why the Spaniard was away from the basketball courts was due to his torn-knee ligament and spent almost two campaigns recovering. Last season, he was only able to participate in 33 matches.

In his recent post, the player explained that he didn’t report to training camp in October because “July 30th was one of the toughest nights of my life.”

He wrote: “One day, when the time is right, I would love to share my full experience with you all so I can help support others going through similar situations. Until then, I would like to keep it private out of respect for my family and myself, as I’m still working on my mental health.”

Rubio didn’t forget to thank all of his teams, but gave a special acknowledgement to the Cavaliers organization, including the team president Koby Altman and head coach J.B. Bickerstaff.

“My last home,” the veteran shared. “I know the way things ended have been tough. I could never have imagined the year would develop this way, but you have an amazing organization, with Koby and JB, who have been extremely respectful and understanding of my situation and caring for me as a person.”

For quite some time Rubio had been talking about returning home to Spain and be close to family

During an interview with “La Sontana” podcast from Spain, Rubio said in August that he was already considering a potential return to his home in Barcelona.

“I’m beginning to consider my return. Going home. To Barcelona. Close to home,” he revealed on air. “I have two years left on my contract. Maybe one. We’ll see.” He then admitted that the most important thing to consider is his family, as he wants to be close to them from now on.

“When my son starts going to school, NBA will not be worth it anymore. I’ll have to go back,” Ricky explained. “I don’t want to be dizzy when he’s six years old, the age to start making friends. I’ve talked about it with my wife, we have it very clear. It’s a moment when basketball will not be the top priority.”

Rubio has been playing basketball ever since he was a teenager and first made it to the NBA in 2009, when the Minnesota Timberwolves drafted the Spanish international, and stayed there for seven-long seasons.