Ricky Rubio leaves legacy with four NBA franchises

It was reported in December that there were "serious doubts" whether Rubio would "ever [play] again" amid his permitted leave from the Cleveland Cavaliers to address his mental health.

After making international headlines in the EuroLeague as a teenager in the late 2000s, the Spaniard was selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the fifth overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft. In 2011, he arrived in the United States and officially joined the Timberwolves.

Rubio earned Western Conference Rookie of the Month honors at the start of his career and he finished his debut season sixth in the NBA in assists per game (8.2). Rubio also finished second in the Rookie of the Year voting behind Kyrie Irving, but suffered a season-ending ACL tear during a game against the Los Angeles in March while guarding Kobe Bryant.

The 2010 EuroLeague champion joined forces with All-Star power forward Kevin Love to help lead the Wolves out of the Kevin Garnett days and into a new era.

After six seasons in Minnesota without a playoff berth, however, Love was traded to the Cavaliers in August 2014 in a deal that brought that year's No. 1 overall pick (Andrew Wiggins) and 2013 first overall selection Anthony Bennett to the Timberwolves, among others. Bennett ended a brief career as one of the biggest busts in NBA Draft history and stayed in the North Star State for only one year while Wiggins won the Rookie of the Year award and teamed up with Rubio on a young Wolves squad.

Rubio's final season of his first stint with the Timberwolves came in the 2016-17 campaign, which was also big man Karl-Anthony Towns' second season with Minnesota.

Rubio averaged double figures in scoring in five of his six years during his first run with the Wolves, at least 8.2 assists five times and at least 2.1 steals four times. The team was unable to make the playoffs before Rubio was traded to the Utah Jazz in June 2017, though.

He spent two years with the Jazz and – along with then-rookie Donovan Mitchell and big man Rudy Gobert – led the team to the playoffs both springs. Rubio then signed with the Phoenix Suns in July 2019 and played one season in the desert, before returning to Minnesota for the 2020-21 campaign.

He was sent to Cleveland in August 2021 (his fourth time being traded in just over four years) and returned to the Cavs on a three-year, $18.4M deal in July 2022, less than five months after he was traded to the Indiana Pacers. Rubio never suited up with the Pacers after he suffered the second torn ACL of his career in December 2021.

At the time of the ACL tear, Rubio was playing a critical role off Cleveland's bench while helping the team roll to a 24-10 start. In 34 games prior to the injury, he averaged a career-high 13.1 points to go along with 6.6 assists, 4.1 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 28.5 minutes per game, sporting a .363/.339/.854 shooting line.

Rubio returned from his crushing injury last January and his final games in the Association came in April during Cleveland's first-round playoff loss to the New York Knicks.

Over his 12 seasons in the NBA, Rubio was widely regarded as one of the best guys to have in the locker room. According to an ESPN report by Adrian Wojnarowski, he “built a reputation as one of the favorite teammates of several star players,” including Love and Mitchell.