Former Cavaliers Point Guard Says 'I Didn’t Make Friends, Just Teammates' in the NBA

One of the prominent side topics in NBA discourse is the ever-changing culture. From day to day, one can find the league's legends talking about how soft the players are now, or how the game is no longer played the right way. There's plenty of it coming from the other side too, though. Kevin Durant recently sent shots at Michael Jordan, unprompted.

However, it goes beyond just old and new stars dissing each other. As time naturally pushes the world and its people forward, so too must the NBA march onward, some steps for the worse, some for the better. The overall talent across the league is undeniably better now than in decades past. But, at the same time, the AAU grind and the specialization of child athletes may be driving these players to be more injury-prone.

According to former Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Ricky Rubio, the league has also lost a lot of its soul and reverence over the last few years. Speaking to Marca, he recently opened up about some of the mental struggles he faced while playing in the NBA, while also being very critical of the environment he encountered in the league:

"In the locker room, you hear nonsense like, 'What car do you drive?' Are we really competing over that?"

It wasn't just the players, though. Rubio felt that the league itself contributed to some of the negativity he felt off the court:

"I never fell in love with the culture or traditions. They’ve turned the NBA into a show, into a business. They’ve left behind the love of basketball, and that’s also happening in Europe."

It's a shame to hear that he mostly didn't enjoy his time in the NBA, as Rubio strung together a very productive career through the course of his 12 seasons. Considering that the Cavaliers were his last stop, one quote especially sticks out from his interview:

"I didn’t make friends, just teammates."

Hopefully, he meant that last bit more figuratively than literally, and he has fond memories of his time in Cleveland to take with him wherever his journey leads.