Spanish leader Ricky Rubio will not participate in the World Basketball which begins on August 25 in Asia because he has decided to take a break from his career “to take care of his mental health”. “I have decided to suspend my professional activity to take care of my mental health. I ask that my privacy be respected so that I can face these moments and give more information when the time is right,” said the NBA Cleveland Cavaliers player in a statement posted on the Spanish Basketball Federation website. .
Rubio, 32, went to Madrid to prepare for the World Cup with Spain, who are defending champions, but he did not participate in the friendly match against Venezuela (87-57) on Friday. The tournament will begin on August 25 in the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia.
In 2019, La Roja won the World Cup in Beijing and Rubio was crowned MVP (best player) of the competition. Despite Spain’s elimination in the quarter-finals at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, he was among the tournament’s top five.
Victim of a rupture of the cruciate ligament of the left knee at the very end of the year 2021, the leader had resumed in January after more than a year of convalescence. In 2012, Rubio had already ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament of the left knee, missing several months of competition. He had signed a new contract with Cleveland in July 2022 for three seasons. More and more sportsmen and women report, often after their career, the psychological difficulties they have had to face.
SEE ALSO – “A lot of pride”: Kadidiatou Diani looks back on his hat-trick against Panama (3-6)