Spanish basketball reacts to Ricky Rubio's decision to take a break / News - Basketnews.com

Following Ricky Rubio's statement about his indefinite break from basketball, several of his former and current Spain NT teammates, but also coach Sergio Scariolo, posted their reactions on Twitter.

Credit: AFP PHOTO / DANIEL MIHAILESCU Credit AFP PHOTO / DANIEL MIHAILESCU

Ricky Rubio shocked the basketball world on Saturday morning when he announced, via the Spanish Basketball Federation, that he will be taking some time off his obligations as a professional player.

Ricard Rubio

Position:PGAge:32Height:193 cmWeight:86 kgBirth place:Barcelona, SpainProfileNewsStatistics

While Rubio clarified that the reason is his mental health, he's yet to specify whether his absence will be permanent and any deeper causes that might have led him to that decision.

In the meantime, several personalities from Spanish basketball instantly reacted to the news, voicing their support to the 32-year-old point guard, who -among other things- will miss the upcoming World Cup with his national team.

Spain NT head coach Sergio Scariolo was one of the first persons to express his solidarity to his player with a Twitter post.

"In #TheFamily (editor's note: the hashtag used to denote the Spanish NT), the person always comes before results. All my love and support to Ricky, and my admiration for his transparency and, through it, his ability, once again, to lead by example," the Italian tactician wrote.

Rubio's former teammate, Jose Calderon, addressed the former NBA player personally:

"We have known each other for many years and you know how I feel about you. Now more than ever. I love you so much. We are with you. [I'm sending you] a lot of encouragement," the retired point guard wrote.

Another retired player, who's currently coaching Valencia Basket, posted a photo of him and Rubio with a heart emoji. Alex Mumbru won three medals with Spain, including Olympic silver (2008) and EuroBasket gold (2009) alongside Rubio.

Sergio Llull, whose presence in the World Cup will be crucial the way things turned out, urged Rubio to make sure "that smile doesn't disappear."

In the same vein, Rudy Fernandez, the most veteran of all Spain's veteran players, promised to "always be" on his teammate's side.

Willy Hernangomez, who will play for FC Barcelona next season, used one of Rubio's mottos, "Never too high, never too low," to illustrate how his ex-teammate should deal with his condition.

For his part, another active player of Spain, veteran forward Victor Claver, posted a photo of him and Rubio hugging each other.

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