These Two European Point Guards Just Announced Their Retirement
For over the past 30 years, European players have shaped the NBA into what it is today. Guys like Dirk Nowitzki, Manu Ginóbli, and Luka Dončić have always been elite basketball players either in Europe or here in the United States. Two European point guards announced their retirement this week, and although they won’t make the Hall of Fame, they’ve been impactful on some key teams. Let’s look into these two players, their career stats, and how successful their careers went.
Goran Dragić
The 2014 NBA’s Most Improved Player Goran Dragić announced that he is retiring at 37 years old. He’s played on seven different teams during his 15-year career. During his second stint with the Phoenix Suns, that’s when Dragić started to shape into his own and make a high-level impact on a nightly basis. He averaged about 20 points, three rebounds, six assists, and a steal during his 2013-2014 campaign when he won Most Improved Player. When he was traded to the Miami Heat a year later, Goran started to play his best brand of basketball. During the 2019-2020 season, he was a key piece in helping the Heat make the NBA Finals for the first time since 2014. Miami would lose in six games to the Los Angeles Lakers. After the 2020-2021 season, Dragić would transition to coming off the bench and would play on four different teams in a span of two seasons. Goran’s career high in points came on February 28th, 2014, against the New Orleans Pelicans. Dragić would drop 40 points along with grabbing three rebounds and dishing out five assists in a 116-104 win.
Ricky Rubio
One of Spain’s flashiest point guards Ricky Rubio announced his retirement at 33 years old. Besides his final NBA season, Rubio always averaged five or more assists during his first 11 years. He’s played on four different teams, most noticeably being drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the fifth overall pick in 2009. While Rubio has always been a quality-level player, Minnesota will always be known for picking Ricky and Johnny Flynn before eventual four-time champion point guard Stephen Curry. Rubio’s best statistical season was in 2017-2018 when he was a member of the Utah Jazz. Ricky averaged about 13 points, five rebounds, five assists, and two steals. His best shooting performance came on November 7th, 2021, against the New York Knicks. Rubio scored 37 points with eight-three pointers made while having three rebounds, ten assists, and a steal in a 126-109 victory. While both of these guys may not be NBA Hall of Famers, they surely have impacted all the fans in Europe, and certainly have made their mark around the globe.
