By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Ricky Rubio officially signed with Barcelona for the rest of the 2023-24 season, the club announced. The Spanish guard is back at the Blaugrana and EuroLeague for the first time since 2011 when he left to spend the next 12 years of his career in the NBA.
By joining his former club, Rubio is returning to basketball after announcing that he’s taking a hiatus to focus on his mental health in August.
As a Barcelona player from 2009 to 2011, Rubio won the 2010 EuroLeague championship and was named the competition’s Rising Star the same year.
Per Barcelona:
FC Barcelona and Ricky Rubio have reached an agreement for the Catalan guard to join the Club until the end of the season. This agreement depends on the player’s progress as he finds himself in the final stages of his recovery.
Barça have registered the player in the ACB and Euroleague after he underwent the usual medical tests at the Ciutat Esportiva and the Hospital de Barcelona. Ricky Rubio’s return to competition will come when the player himself decides the time is right.
Ricky Rubio joined the dynamic of Roger Grimau’s squad on 30 January. As he explained on his own social media platforms, the idea was to deal with the final stage of his recovery (the player had recently put an end to his career in the NBA due to mental health issues).
After a week of training with the team, Rubio has decided to sign a contract with FC Barcelona. The Club has registered the player in time for him to compete in the ACB and the Euroleague in 2023/24 with the registration window closing on Wednesday 7 February.