Ricky Rubio has signed a contract extension with Joventut Badalona that will keep the veteran point guard with the Catalan club through 2027.
The 35-year-old playmaker, who returned in 2024 to the club where his professional career began after more than a decade in the NBA, will continue to lead a backcourt that Joventut has strengthened this summer by adding another experienced floor general.
Rubio is coming off an impressive season, averaging 13.7 points, 5.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game across the Liga Endesa and the EuroCup, numbers that confirm he can still run an offense at the highest European level. His playmaking was central to Badalona's campaign on both fronts, and the extension removes any doubt about the direction of the team being built around him.
The former Minnesota Timberwolves, Utah Jazz, Phoenix Suns and Cleveland Cavaliers guard was drafted fifth overall in 2009 and spent more than a decade in the NBA before stepping away from the game in August 2023 to focus on his mental health. He returned to the court with Cleveland in January 2024 and then chose to go back to Spain, joining the club that had launched him as a teenager. A fixture of Spain's golden generation, he led La Roja to the 2019 FIBA World Cup title and remains one of the most decorated players in Spanish basketball history.
Rubio announced the news on social media, posting with the hashtags #CityOfBadalona and #ASISAJoventut alongside #JoHiSeré, the Catalan phrase meaning "I will be there".
With the extension secured, Joventut can plan the next two seasons around its veteran playmaker, keeping his experience at the heart of a young, growing squad as the club pushes for a return to continental prominence.
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