In a lengthy interview with Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, Ricky Rubio called July 30, 2023 “one of the most difficult days of his life.” The Spanish guard recounted the days leading up to the moment he decided to quit, to leave the Spanish national team’s training camp ahead of the 2023 World Cup, and to make his mental health a top priority.
“My mind has gone to a very dark place. The last injury with the Cavs was very tough, but it was not the big factor that led me to this. It was about little things that had been there for years that eventually turned against me.”, he reflected.
“I get chills thinking about the days when everything was dark. There was something clouding my mind that I could not overcome. Now I am much better because of the help I needed to receive and I am rebuilding from the inside and not from the outside.”, he said with sincerity.
Rubio admitted that dealing with internal conflicts associated with his image was another barrier he had to overcome.
“I was always the one trying to be positive, but sometimes I would lie to myself. He would tell me that I couldn’t feel a certain way because that would slow me down. But if you lie to yourself, you end up turning against yourself, and that’s what happened to me. You have to be honest with yourself.”
Ricky Rubio takes stock of his time in the NBA, where he experienced 12 years of ups and downs.
“Sometimes I wish I had had an even better career. I would have liked to have won a title. But in the end I realize that I enjoyed it. There were difficult moments, of course, it was not a perfect story. But I learned a lot, made a lot of friends and grew throughout the process.”
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