Background and career
Ricard Rubio Vives (born 21 October 1990) is a Spanish professional basketball player for Joventut Badalona of the Liga ACB. He became the youngest player ever to play in the Spanish Liga ACB on 15 October 2005, at age 14. He made his EuroLeague debut on 24 October 2006, a few days after turning 16, making him one of the youngest players to play in the EuroLeague.
A point guard, Rubio was drafted with the fifth pick in the first round of the 2009 NBA draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves, making him the first player born in the 1990s to be drafted by an NBA team. The Timberwolves had an agreement in principle with his Spanish team, DKV Joventut, to buy out his contract, but Rubio backed out of the deal. Joventut later traded his rights to FC Barcelona, and Rubio signed a six-year contract with FC Barcelona the following day. In 2011, Rubio joined the Timberwolves, and spent six seasons in Minnesota before being traded to the Utah Jazz in June 2017. He signed with the Phoenix Suns in July 2019, before returning to Minnesota in 2020. Rubio was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in August 2021, but was dealt to the Indiana Pacers a month after suffering a season ending ACL injury in December.
In August 2023, Rubio announced he was taking a break from the sport to prioritise his mental health. In January 2024, he announced that he would be retiring from the NBA.


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