Ricky Rubio has been silencing his critics on the international stage since he was a teenage phenom playing for Spain at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
On Sunday, Rubio culminated a fantastic performance at the 2019 FIBA World Cup by winning the gold medal and being named the MVP of the competition after Spain defeated Argentina in the final.
Rubio said that the loss of his mother has continued to motivate him in his career:
More from MVP Ricky Rubio: "I lost my mom three years ago and I know she was behind me, pushing me every day to get the best out of me. There's nobody in this world who loved me more than her and she's still driving me every day. She's not here, but I feel it."
— Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) September 15, 2019
He also reflected on the journey in Beijing as a testament to the heart of the Spanish team:
Ricky Rubio: "“We weren’t the most talented team. We weren’t the bigger team. Put anything you want, but we were the team with the biggest heart and we showed it tonight and we showed it during the whole tournament.”
— Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) September 15, 2019
… never too high, never too low
— Ricky Rubio (@rickyrubio9) September 15, 2019
Rubio cemented his status as the MVP by pouring in 20 points against Argentina.
The success in Beijing should do quite a lot to quell the frustrations of a summer where Rubio has been criticized endlessly for the contract that he signed with the Phoenix Suns in free agency.
Executives around the league blasted the Suns for signing Rubio to a three-year, $51 million contract. In fact, an ESPN survey of 20 coaches, executives and scouts voted the signing as the worst move of the offseason:
“They paid him a lot of money, and he isn't very good,” an Eastern Conference scout said. “Maybe it was the best they could do to finally get a point guard, but you're designed for less than mediocrity.”
The criticisms of Rubio are somewhat strange given his production in recent years as well as his improvements on the defensive side of the ball.
Although he is hardly a lethal perimeter shooter, Rubio can control the game and provide good distribution. The Suns hope that he enters the 2019-20 season with an abundance of confidence after a strong summer on the international scene.