Longtime former NBA point guard Ricky Rubio will continue his basketball career in his native Spain, writes Javier Molero of Eurohoops.net. The 35-year-old has re-signed with Joventut Badalona on a one-year deal, the team confirmed on Thursday (via Twitter).
The fifth overall pick in the 2009 draft, Rubio spent 12 years in the NBA with Minnesota, Utah, Phoenix and Cleveland. In 698 career games, he averaged 10.8 points, 7.4 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 1.8 steals in 29.6 minutes per night.
Rubio, who made his professional debut with Joventut Badalona in October 2005 at age 14, rejoined the team last season and helped the club go 22-12 in the Liga ACB regular season. In 31 appearances, he averaged 13.4 PPG, 5.3 APG, 3.4 RPG and 1.5 SPG in 21.3 MPG.
Here’s more from around the basketball world:
- Due to the ongoing war between the United States and Iran, no NBA preseason games will be held in the Middle East in 2026, report Ramona Shelburne and Brian Windhorst of ESPN. The league has held preseason contests in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, each of the past four years, and considered the possibility of hosting its first preseason game in Doha, Qatar, ahead of the 2027 FIBA World Cup, which is scheduled to be played in Doha. According to Shelburne and Windhorst, the NBA plans to schedule preseason games in Abu Dhabi in the future and will revisit the concept of potentially playing in Qatar as well, but there’s no timeline for that to happen amid the ongoing conflict.
- Zach Kram of ESPN takes an early look at which American men could make Team USA’s roster for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, listing Jalen Brunson, Scottie Barnes and LeBron James among a handful of players whose stocks are on the rise. Chet Holmgren, Jalen Duren and Donovan Mitchell, meanwhile, are trending in the opposite direction, in Kram’s view.
- Who will win the Rookie of the Year award in 2026/27? A total of 20 writers at The Athletic make way-too-early predictions. The top-two picks in the draft — AJ Dybantsa (Wizards) and Darryn Peterson (Jazz) — tied for first with six votes each, followed by Cameron Boozer of the Grizzlies (four votes) and Bulls forward Caleb Wilson (three), who were selected third and fourth overall, respectively. The final vote went to Bucks guard Brayden Burries, the 10th pick.