CLEVELAND, OH - Cleveland Cavaliers guard Ricky Rubio has stepped away from his basketball career to focus on his mental health, Cavaliers President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman announced in a statement on Saturday.
“We were informed today by Ricky and his representation that he has decided to step away from his illustrious basketball career to focus on his mental health at this time,” Altman said in a press release. “We understand how difficult of a decision this was for him and will balance providing whatever support we can while simultaneously respecting Ricky’s request for privacy.”
Rubio, 32, was selected with the fifth overall pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2009 NBA Draft, but did not make the jump to the NBA from until the 2011-12 season.
The Spanish guard was traded to the Cavaliers in August 2021 from the Timberwolves and had success early on for the team, averaging 13.1 points and 6.6 assists per game in 34 games before tearing his ACL in December 2021, ending his season.
He was later traded to the Indiana Pacers as part of the Caris LeVert trade, and signed back in Cleveland to a multi-year deal the following summer. In the 2022-23 season, Rubio averaged 5.2 points and 3.5 assists in 17.2 minutes per game in 33 games.