Ricky Rubio’s Impact: A Look Back at His Career in the NBA

Ricky Rubio against the Milwaukee Bucks, in a game last year.Benny Sieu (USA TODAY Sports)

Thirteen years after his landing, Ricky Rubio has lowered the NBA blinds. And he has made it public with a note that combines thanks, a request for respect for his privacy and some explanation, brief but enough to glimpse the very difficult process in which he finds himself. He also has an optimism in his message not only focused on overcoming his problem but also on the help that he can offer in the future to other people in a similar situation.

The impact of the news does not lie in sports. His last serious injury and everything that had happened in recent months suggested that sooner or later official confirmation of the closure of North American activities would arrive. The interest and following produced has more to do with the fact that Ricky is one of those athletes who manage to establish a connection with the fan that transcends the tracks, goes beyond shields or colors and provokes unconditional emotional support.

That’s how he has been from the beginning of his career, precocious like no other. You didn’t need to be an expert to intuit that that 14-year-old boy was special, because of what he did and how he did it. That’s where we were when the legendary Olympic final in Beijing against the USA arrived, where at 17 years old he played a game to frame, which made us aware of two things. One, his enormous talent. Two, that his playground was going to be beyond the seas.

Both intuitions were amply confirmed over the years. Barcelona, ​​Badalona, ​​Minnesota, Utah, Phoenix and Cleveland, some to a greater extent than others, have enjoyed his unique game. The same can be said of the national team, full of successes, highlighted by the indelible and eternal World Cup in China, the zenith of its impact and hierarchy.

But above achievements and awards, there is something that should be highlighted and that explains the enormous affection and empathy it awakens. The ability he has had to maintain normality in his exceptionality. Many times we associate the athlete with almost superhero powers, with very special lives and circumstances and possessors of values ​​that are difficult for the rest of humans to reach. Ricky reminds us that while it is true that the life of an elite athlete has special circumstances, this does not make them invulnerable to weaknesses or misfortunes, whether in the form of major injuries, deaths of loved ones, unwanted transfers or problems of mental health. Ricky has faced all of this sensibly, without fear or more silence than necessary, without empty words when he raises his voice, always giving the correct value to the different vicissitudes he has gone through, avoiding victimhood, trying to get some positive lesson even to blackness.

We know little about Ricky’s future. He could finish his career dressed in shorts (blue, green, black, who knows) or we may never see him on a track again, the least desirable option. But no matter what he happens, he will have us by his side, accompanying and enjoying the extraordinary normality of a unique athlete.

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2024-01-06 05:01:53
#Ricky #Rubio #Exceptional #normality #Basketball #Sports