Ricky Rubio said that his mother's death while he was still in the NBA greatly affected his mental health. Not everything is as pretty for NBA players, he said, and he admitted he felt empty after his mother passed away.
Ricky Rubio's sudden retirement from the NBA was a huge surprise in the basketball community. Now a free agent, Rubio has shared his thoughts about it.
Rubio was a guest at the Sr Wolf Podcast with Juan Ramon Lucas, where he opened up about his mental struggles.
The Spanish guard is now an avid advocate for lung cancer prevention. He has also founded the Ricky Rubio Foundation, which fights against it alongside the Spanish Association of People Affected by Lung Cancer (AEACaP).
It all started in 2016 when Rubio's mother died of lung cancer.
"You always think that it won't happen to you and it happened to me very closely... the most important person in my life, a role model," the player began.
"It was a very difficult process, and that had a deep impact," Rubio said.
Rubio shared that battling mental issues by yourself, although sometimes feels like the safest option, is often detrimental to the overall process of getting over the trauma.
"I'm very introverted and I like to keep things to myself, but then I saw that sharing this experience can help people who are going through it and feel a little more supported," the player said. "Emotional support helps to heal it and, above all, to not have such a bad time."
When his mother was battling for her life, Rubio was playing in the NBA. He was earning millions of dollars every year, he was a star. Yet, he didn't feel fulfilled.
"You see that you have everything, but you don't feel anything," Rubio said. "I was playing in the NBA, I had everything I needed to have, I was succeeding... But there was something wrong."
Rubio was asked whether there was a moment when he completely broke down.
"No, because I'm here today. But I did break down," he admitted.
"In the end, that's what life is about. Living through experiences that break you down and then rebuild you to be stronger," Rubio later said.
Rubio was offered a contract by Joventut Badalona but chose to decline it. Now, he remains a free agent.
"In the end, not everything is as beautiful as it is portrayed to us when we are children, and all stories end well. The reality is that there are good times and there are hard times," Rubio said.
"You don't always have to want to live the beautiful moments, you have to know how to learn and live the hard moments... Light exists because darkness exists."
