Ricky Rubio returns to ACB in Granada after break
Ricky Rubio returned to the ACB League with Joventut Badalona in Granada, the same venue where he debuted 20 years ago. After 490 days away for mental health reasons, the Catalan point guard helped secure a win over Covirán Granada with 18 points in 19 minutes. The game symbolized his reunion with elite basketball following a year in a municipal league with friends.
The Palacio Municipal de Deportes in Granada witnessed Ricky Rubio's return to Spanish basketball elite. Twenty years ago, in 2005, a 14-year-old Rubio debuted there with Joventut, scoring 2 points, 1 assist, and 2 steals in his first ACB game. Two decades later, on October 5, 2025, the 34-year-old point guard returned to the same venue after his last match on June 2, 2024, with Barcelona.
Rubio, who signed with Joventut on July 22, 2025, played 19 minutes against Covirán Granada, scoring 18 points (9/9 free throws), dishing 4 assists, and earning 30 valuation in the 75-87 win. "It's been 20 years, seems like yesterday. But a lot has happened. I'm very happy, enjoying basketball. It's a very important win," he told TV3. The crowd of 7,489 fans applauded him upon entry.
Before this comeback, Rubio took a mental health break in 2023, following severe injuries, his mother's death in 2016, and pressure from 12 NBA seasons with Minnesota, Utah, Phoenix, and Cleveland, where he was MVP of the 2019 World Cup. In 2024, he briefly played for Barcelona before pausing again. Last year, he intermittently joined Barcelona's municipal 2+1 league with friends on team Una més i prou, finishing fifth. "He went from guarding Curry to defending Antonio, who had been up putting the kids to bed," Iaco Rocher recounted about his low-key style, where he walked instead of running to avoid standing out. A viral video made him skip games temporarily.
Rubio sees Joventut as his final club: "It will be my last club. No doubts." His return features matchups like Real Madrid, Unicaja, and Baskonia in Liga Endesa, and Cholet in Champions.