Kevin Love Reveals Ricky Rubio Regrets ‘Haunting’ Him

Ex Cleveland Cavaliers and current Utah Jazz star Kevin Love has never shied away from self-reflectionbut one of his most personal confessions came only after that Ricky Rubio retired from basketball. In 2024, Rubio officially retired from the NBA, choosing to prioritize his mental health after years of physical failures and personal struggles.

That decision prompted Love, a former teammate of Rubio’s with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Cleveland, to speak out for words he felt were long overdue. Love discovered that one of his lingering regrets it included how he treated Rubio earlier in their careers together.

“One of my biggest regrets is I wish I was a better teammate for him and the other guys, but really for him because he really cares,” Love said in an interview with Sarah Todd of the Deseret News. “I actually apologized. It haunted me that I never said that.”

Love explained that Rubio’s genuine investment in his teammates made his shortcomings feel more difficult in retrospect. Their paths crossed several times in the NBA. Rubio joined the Cavaliers in August 2021 and delivered one of the most productive stretches of his career, including a 37-point, 10-assist performance against the New York Knicks before suffering a devastating ACL tear later that season.

After a brief trade to the Indiana Pacers, Rubio returned to Cleveland in 2022he eventually made an emotional return to the field in January 2023. However, by August of that year, Rubio decided to take a break from his career, he later announced his retirement in January 2024. Rubio previously explained his decision in a heartfelt message through a statement released by FEB, openly discussing his suffering.

“I have decided to stop my professional activity to take care of my mental health. I want to thank all the support I received from the team to understand my decision,” Rubio said via FEB.

Love’s reflection spread beyond Ruby himself. Looking back in his early years with the Timberwolveshe offered a brutally honest self-assessment. He admitted that it took him years to really learn how to channel emotions, to constructively lead and support others.

“I was a bad teammate,” Love told the Deseret News. “I was selfish, angry, bitter, respectable, arrogant, I had bad habits. But more than anything, I was a bad teammate.”

Confession of Love highlights how careers are often defined not only by statistics or titles, but also by relationships. With Rubio now away from the NBA, Love’s words serve as a reminder that sometimes growth comes late, but responsibility and empathy can still make a lasting impact.