By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Spain will fight for a spot in the Olympic Games in Paris this summer and will have to go through the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament at home, in Valencia.
However, as Sergio Scariolo revealed when announcing the 22-man extended roster for this summer’s duties – which also includes the returning Lorenzo Brown, protagonist at EuroBasket 2022 and absent from the national team at the 2023 FIBA World Cup -, Ricky Rubio won’t be part of it.
The 33-year-old veteran playmaker has now explained the reasons behind such a decision. “Last Monday they started training, I think I didn’t have enough time to be 100% ready because my sporting career depended on this summer, in terms of keep playing or not”, he first said.
“I think it would have been selfish, for me, playing for the national team without being 100% ready for them. I also needed to think about myself at that moment”, Barcelona’s own continued.
Returning to action after almost two years of being out of the court, he last played with Spain in February, taking part in the 2025 EuroBasket Qualifiers games against Latvia and Belgium. Coming back to the EuroLeague, he has averaged 4.7 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 4.3 assists within 13 games with Barcelona.
PHOTO CREDIT: 2025 EuroBasket Qualifiers