Former Suns PG Ricky Rubio thanks Devin Booker in letter of reflection

Former Phoenix Suns guard Ricky Rubio thanked Devin Booker for playing an important part in the Spaniard’s NBA career.

Booker on Monday posted a snapshot of the letter sent to him by Rubio.

Part of the message thanked Booker for allowing Rubio to be the “PG on YOUR team” and for treating him with respect.

Rubio mentioned the Suns’ bubble run, where the team went 8-0 in the Disney World bubble created by the NBA coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic delay.

Devin Booker received a jersey and a handwritten note from Ricky Rubio, who sent out a thank you message last week to everyone important to his basketball journey

(Via Book’s IG: https://t.co/GV1pGpdJFh) pic.twitter.com/M8F1UHR239

— Kellan Olson (@KellanOlson) June 16, 2025

A year ago, Rubio retired from the NBA amid mental health concerns but has kept a foot in the pro game with Spanish club FC Barcelona this past season.

He spent the past week reflecting on his professional career by sending thank yous to former teammates and cities.

“I took this year to reflect on my career and my life, and I’ve realized that if I’ve gotten to where I am today, it’s not because of the assists I’ve given, but because of the assists I’ve received,” he wrote on X. “This isn’t a goodbye, it’s a thank you to all the people who have helped me along the way.”

Rubio took out a full-page ad in the Minnesota Star Tribune this week to thank the people from his first NBA home. A teenage star before reaching the NBA, he was the fifth overall pick in 2009 and played for the Timberwolves from 2011-2017 and again from 2020-21.

Though he spent only a season with Phoenix, Rubio helped the Suns walk before they could run.

He signed on a three-year deal as a free agent before the 2019-20 season as Phoenix was coming off a 19-win campaign. Under first-year coach Monty Williams, Rubio and Booker helped the Suns go 34-39, falling just short of nabbing a postseason spot with their perfect bubble run.

The success allowed the franchise to take the next step, but that step required Rubio to be shipped to the Oklahoma City Thunder as Phoenix acquired All-Star guard Chris Paul, who in his first season led the team to the NBA Finals in 2021. Days after that trade, Rubio was redirected to Minnesota.

He finished his NBA career playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2021-24.

Related

As he retires from NBA, let's not forget Ricky Rubio and his season with the SunsRicky Rubio: Suns said his 'name was off the table' in trades this offseasonSuns' Ricky Rubio a 'player to watch' in Orlando restart, says FiveThirtyEightNFL OL Andrus Peat, brother of Koa, announces retirementSuns reveal 2026 preseason scheduleHas LeBron James set himself up to pass Michael Jordan with move to 76ers? Has he already?