Cavs' Rubio stepping away from basketball for mental health reasons

Aug. 5—Ricky Rubio, the 33-year-old backup point guard for the Cavaliers, has announced he is stepping away from basketball for mental health reasons. This isn't a severe blow to the Cavs. But it does leave a hole on their bench.

"I have decided to stop my professional activity to take care of my mental health," Rubio said in a statement released by the Spanish Basketball Federation. "I want to thank all the support I have received from the Spanish national team to understand my decision. Today family makes more sense than ever. I would ask my privacy be respected so that I can face these moments and be able to give more information when the time is right."

Rubio, who was born in Spain, did not mention the Cavaliers or the NBA in his statement.

Rubio was playing well for the Cavaliers in the 2021-22 season until a knee injury suffered in December of 2021 ended his season. He played in 34 games with eight starts and was averaging 13.1 points and 6.6 points a game.

The Cavs traded Rubio and a first-round pick to the Pacers in February of 2022 for Caris LeVert and then signed Rubio to a three-year contract before last season began. Rubio played in 33 games with two starts last season. His minutes per game dropped from 28.5 the year before to 17.2. His scoring fell to 5.2 points a game and his assists to 3.5 a game. He just wasn't the same player he was before the knee injury.

"We were informed today by Ricky and his representation that he has decided to step away from his illustrious basketball career to focus on his mental health at this time," Cavaliers president of basketball operations Koby Altman said Aug. 5 in a statement. "We understand how difficult of a decision this was for him and will balance providing whatever support we can while simultaneously respecting Ricky's request for privacy."

Rubio played in three of the five playoff games against the Knicks last season and did not score a point in 17 total minutes.

Rubio was scheduled to make $6,146,342 with the Cavs in 2023-24.

The Cavs did bolster their backcourt in the offseason by signing Ty Jerome, formerly of the Golden State Warriors, but Jerome is more a shooting guard than a point guard. He averaged 6.9 points and three assists in 18.1 minutes a game with the Warriors last season.