Two days after an epic match that Barça fans will not soon forget.Barça defeated Joventut (90-80), catching up to their rival in the standings. A lethal third quarter proved decisive against a Joventut team that wasn't as consistent as usual. Kevin Punter, who scored 20 points on 4/6 shooting from three-point range, and Tomás Satoransky, who finished with 16 points and 7 assists, led the Blaugrana to their ninth consecutive victory.

This Sunday, Joventut lost to Real Madrid. This is the objective headline that was published everywhere, but the atmosphere at the Olímpic de Badalona went far beyond the sports headlines. The day was special, and for that reason, the arena was packed again – as it hadn't been for a long time – with more than 11,000 people. This season, even before it began, offered Joventut fans an extraordinary incentive: the return of Ricky Rubio home. On Sunday, against a strong rival that, traditionally – also for political reasons – enjoys winning, the crowd showed from the first second of the game that they were ready to give their all to the players on the court. The fact that Ricky Rubio started was already a welcome message, with smiles, shouts of encouragement, and thunderous applause. And Ricky did not disappoint. Not so much for his skill—unquestionable at this point—but for his attitude. And the stands understood the message. Every one of his plays was met with thunderous applause, and when the ball didn't go in the basket, the crowd's chanted lament must have clearly reached the player's ear.

"We've never had such a long list of interview requests as we have now with Ricky." Judit Borrull, Joventut's communications manager, perfectly sums up the excitement generated by Ricky Rubio's return to La Penya. The 34-year-old point guard is living his dream comeback at the club that trained him. Sales of shirts with the number 9 have skyrocketed, and the number of season ticket holders continues to grow.

Happy as if he'd learned to prioritize the good over the bad, Ricky Rubio was introduced as a Joventut player. The 34-year-old point guard explained the process that led him from thinking about retirement to deciding to play with the team that gave him his debut when he was just fourteen. "I was already clear that I'd reached my limit, but at the end of April, four things happened that made me take life differently. It all started with a conversation with someone I didn't know, and that resulted in three or four actions in three consecutive days that made me rethink the situation. I let a week pass to breathe and then decided."

As Xavi Ballesteros (Badalona Television) has advancedRicky Rubio will return to playing professional basketball. The point guard has signed with Joventut Badalona, which made the deal official on Tuesday. which is for a seasonTwenty years after his precocious debut at just 14 years old, the El Masnou native will once again wear the green and black jersey.

After opening up like never before to tell her situationRicky Rubio joined the ranks of international superstars such as Simone Biles, Michael Phelps, Naomi Osaka, and Andrés Iniesta, who were among the first athletes to break taboos and speak openly about their mental health issues. Contrary to what most fans imagine, most cases arose at a time of great sporting success.

"I tried to sleep, but it was impossible. I ended up feeling like a faker. I wanted to prove that I was okay, that I had everything under control. And balls! I was lost and scared. I had the feeling that since I was 14, since I started being a professional player, I had to follow a script, some unwritten rules." This is how Ricky Rubio begins to describe his experience in an interview broadcast by Évole's thing (The Sixth).

"On February 14, 2020, I was diagnosed with leukemia and my whole life changed." Martina Claramunt was shaken a few weeks before the general lockdown was decreed due to the pandemic. The basketball player felt unwell and went to the hospital. "Different parts of my body hurt, but I didn't know what was wrong," she says. The diagnosis left her frozen.