Ricky Rubio retires after 12 seasons in NBA

Ricky Rubio retired from the NBA on Thursday after 12 seasons in the league.

Rubio and the Cleveland Cavaliers agreed to a contract buyout this week. Rubio, 33, stepped away from the franchise in August to concentrate on his mental health.

"What a dream. After playing 12 years in the league, with all its ups and downs, I have collected lots of good memories and great relationships," Rubio wrote on X. "Minnesota, Utah, Phoenix and Cleveland. Wow. Thank you!"

The 12-year NBA veteran had $6.1 million left on this season's contract and $6.4 million for 2024-25.

The buyout provides the Cavaliers with some financial relief and also clears a spot on the roster.

"I know the way things ended have been tough," Rubio said of Cleveland. "I could never have imagined the year would develop this way, but you have an amazing organization, with (president of basketball operations) Koby (Altman) and J.B. (Bickerstaff), who have been extremely respectful and understanding of my situation and caring for me as a person."

Rubio missed most of the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons recovering from a torn ACL.

The Spanish star joined Cleveland in a February 2022 trade and appeared in 67 games (10 starts) for the Cavaliers, averaging 9.2 points, 5.1 assists and 3.1 rebounds.

Rubio's career averages include 10.8 points, 7.4 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 1.8 steals in 698 games (603 starts) for the Minnesota Timberwolves (2011-17, 2020-21), Utah Jazz (2017-19), Phoenix Suns (2019-20) and Cavaliers.

--Field Level Media/Reuters