Ricky Rubio

I’m not entirely sure who will remember my obsession with this guy from circa 4 years ago so I’ll just give you a bit of history:

His name’s Ricky Rubio and he’s a Spanish basketballer. I first discovered/saw him while watching some game or another during the coverage of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He was just 17, and he was a god. He still is a god now, even though he’s out of the Olympics with a knee injury.

I don’t enjoy watching sport in any way shape or form. I don’t watch the footy, I don’t go to the footy, I don’t even watch my own basketball club’s women’s team, (half of whom are my own team mates and friends) unless I’m already there. I used to watch the Dandenong Rangers women when I played there but only because it was free entry and chance to hang out with the girls. My point is: sport – not my thing.

But for Ricky Rubio, I stayed up late, I watched every game I could get my eyes on, I sat on YouTube watching his highlights, I waited 4 years to watch him again only to find he stuffed his knee in March but once he’s back I’m gonna sit down and watch him play in the NBA on ESPN.

It’s not about him being hot (for once) or about how he’s Spanish (cue my xenophilia) it’s about him being good. Not just a good player, but a good person, and most importantly, to me, a good team member.

I had a whole spiel about how awesome Ricky Rubio is but it got long and presumably boring to anyway who isn’t as passionate/in love with him as I am and what it boils down to is he embodies the saying “There’s no I in team”. I hate watching basketball because I hate how selfish players, more often than not of the male variety, can be so I find it refreshing to see a guy whose focus isn’t how many baskets he personally can score but how many the team can score.

I just…he’s amazing.
And, look I'm not gonna lie, sans the beard he's kinda cute too.