Rubio, who became famous at a young age, has won the attention of the world since he entered the professional league, and the excessive attention has brought him not only the appearance of brilliance, but also more of a psychological pressure that is difficult to measure. From the genius golden boy to the pill boy to the Spanish jade lion, Rubio strengthens his heart with persistence and hard work, as long as he does not squander his talent, he will still be the Utah Jazz, and even the brightest star in the Liberian peninsula.
The "Spanish Golden Boy" has just grown
Ricky Rubio was born in Barcelona, Spain in 1990. At the age of 14, he entered the professional league and made his debut in the Spanish Basketball League, becoming the youngest player in the history of the Spanish Basketball League. At the age of 16, he entered the Champions League for the first time, won the steals king in his first season with an average of 3.45 steals per game, and won the title of Newcomer of the Year by the European Basketball Association in the same year. At that time, although Rubio had just debuted, he had already become a national treasure in the Spanish basketball world, and there was no doubt that he had an infinitely bright future with great talent. With his excellent passing vision and basketball IQ, as well as his maturity that is extremely inconsistent with his age, Rubio is able to show his talent calmly on the court, whether he is playing against players of the same age group or with players of higher age, and he is equally comfortable on both ends of the attack and defense. One of the most impressive moments was when he led Spain to that year's European Youth Championship at the age of 16. In the final final, he led the team to a successful victory over Russia after double overtime, and his stats were finally fixed at 51 points, 24 rebounds and 12 assists.
A year later, at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, also at the Wukesong Stadium, the 17-year-old "Spanish Golden Boy" "surprised" Chinese fans for the first time with his handsome appearance and smart playing style. In the final against the American Dream Eight, Rubio, who started for Spain, faced a number of top American defenders such as Chris Paul and Jason Kidd, and although he was confronted by his opponents everywhere, Rubio did not fall behind.
It can be said that this direct battle with the Dream Eight team has added another fire to Rubio's entry into the NBA. The year after the Beijing Olympics, the 18-year-old Rubio was selected by the Timberwolves, and although he did not choose to go directly to the NBA after being selected, everyone knew that the Europa League was doomed to keep the rare wizard.
Encounter injuries and diseases The road to success is constantly thorny
In 2011, the third year of Rubio's selection by the Timberwolves, Rubio officially joined the Minnesota Timberwolves and began his new career. In his first year with the NBA, Rubio eventually delivered a quasi-top point guard who averaged 10.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 8.2 assists per game, and he was rightfully named to the rookie first team that season.
But it was also in a game the second half of that season's regular season that Rubio experienced the first major turning point in his NBA career in direct conversations with Bryant. At that time, the Timberwolves were absent due to Lefour, and Rubio played very efficiently, scoring 15 points, 10 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 steals on 5-of-12 shooting. But just before the end of the final game, Rubio tried to delay Kobe Bryant in a defensive attack, but unexpectedly collided with the opponent, and immediately fell down in pain, and he could not even walk after the game. After an MRI the next day, Rubio was diagnosed with a torn cruciate ligament in his left knee. This injury not only caused the Golden Boy to end his rookie season early, but more fatally, Rubio failed to continue the smooth sailing of his basketball career. This injury not only became a turning point for Rubio in the NBA, but also became the Timberwolves' feng shui ridge for that season. Before Rubio was injured, the Timberwolves, who had had endless fantasies at the beginning of the season, had a good record of 21 wins and 19 losses, and Rubio deserved a playoff spot in his rookie season. However, because of his injury, the Timberwolves have only won five of their last 26 regular season games. Then-coach Adelman also reluctantly said before the end of the regular season that he underestimated the impact of Rubio's injury on the team, and it was clear that the Timberwolves could not do without him. In addition, Rubio also missed the opportunity to represent the Spanish men's basketball team at the London Olympics in 2012 due to a knee injury.
Fortunately, after recuperating from injury for more than half a year, Rubio, who has returned from injury, is recovering quite well, and does not seem to be too affected by injuries, but Rubio is always a little far from what people expected of him at first. After ending their rookie contract, the Timberwolves offered Rubio a four-year, $55 million contract extension. However, Rubio was hit by injuries in the second season when he gladly accepted the contract, and the golden boy lost his center of gravity during a jump and landed, and his left ankle was almost twisted to 90 degrees, which cast a shadow on the future of the golden boy. Minor injuries continued, major injuries once every three years, and Rubio maintained a full attendance record in only one of the Timberwolves' six seasons. Is it bad luck or does the golden boy have its own glass properties? Rubio's health problems have haunted him since he entered the NBA.
From the Golden Boy to the Jade Lion Rubio helped Spain return to the top of the world
Compared to the NBA's thorns, Rubio is obviously more at ease in the FIBA arena. In the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, Rubio fired his first shot in front of the world, although he failed to help the team win the final championship, but everyone knew that sooner or later the leader of the Spanish men's basketball team would be the 17-year-old boy at that time.
A year later, at the Men's Basketball European Championship, the 18-year-old Rubio averaged 5.9 points and 3.9 assists per game for the team, and you know, the assist king of that European Championship, Teordosic, averaged only 5.2 assists per game. The Spanish men's basketball team also defeated the Serbian men's basketball team by a disparity of 85-63 in the final final, winning the first European Championship in team history.
At the 2011 Lithuanian Men's Basketball European Championship, the 20-year-old Rubio continued to provide stable assists for his teammates in the first position, and in the entire 11 games of the European Championship, Rubio's assist-to-error ratio was as high as 2.55. The Spanish men's basketball team also passed the hurdles, defeating France in the final to win the European Championship.
In the 2019 Men's Basketball World Cup (formerly known as the World Championship) held in Beijing this year, Rubio led the Spanish men's basketball team to successfully return to the top of the world with an overall performance of 16.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 6 assists and 1.5 steals per game. In the final, Rubio scored 20 points with more than 50 percent of the shots in a direct match against Argentine defender Campazzo, who was the most vocal member of the MVP, while limiting his opponents' shooting percentage to less than 20 percent. Rubio used his impeccable performance to lead the Spanish men's basketball team to regain the world championship, and he was also crowned the MVP of the men's basketball World Cup and selected for the best team of the tournament.
Today, the former "golden boy" has tied up his long flowing hair and grown a beard. The passage of time has transformed Rubio from a boy to a man. He is destined not to be just a "golden boy" who is "looking forward to the future", and fortunately, we are watching Rubio's gorgeous transformation from "golden boy" to "jade lion".