Ricky Rubio rejoins Barcelona on contract through end of season

FILE – Cleveland Cavaliers guard Ricky Rubio dribbles during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Charlotte Hornets in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, March 12, 2023. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond, File)

BARCELONA, Spain — Ricky Rubio signed a short-term contract with Barcelona on Tuesday, a month after he announced that his 12-year NBA career was over.

The 33-year-old Rubio, who had stepped away from playing to address mental health issues, agreed to a deal through the rest of this season. Barcelona said the guard will “return when he is ready.”

Rubio was drafted in the first round by the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2009 but stayed in Spain and played two seasons at Barcelona before switching to the NBA.

The Spaniard linked up with Barcelona for a week of training before deciding to sign the new contract, the Catalan team said.

“This agreement depends on the player’s progress as he finds himself in the final stages of his recovery,” the team said. “Ricky Rubio’s return to competition will come when the player himself decides the time is right.”

Rubio has been on the international basketball stage since he was a teenager, first catching the eye of scouts and fans as a 14-year-old hoops prodigy. He won an Olympic silver medal in 2008, a bronze in 2012 and was named Fiba World Cup MVP in 2019.