Damjan Rudez, retired Croatian basketball player, appeared on the “Jao Mile” podcast where he spoke about many topics.
Damjan Rudez played in the NBA from 2014 to 2017, where he changed teams a total of three times. He played for the Indiana Pacers, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Orlando Magic. As such, he surely had many anecdotes and interesting stories to share, and we bring you a part where he reflected on his former teammate Ricky Rubio.
“We were constantly hanging out with Ricky Rubio. He had his group of friends, five of them. He gave each of them a job, they all lived there, but they lived an NBA life much better than him. He has to play, train, and travel, his friends get everything he gets without doing all of that, but without the pressure.
They lived such a high life that it was a joy to watch. I really loved those guys, Ricky made them great lives, and they meant a lot to him. It’s easier when your own people are around you” Rudez started.
Pau Gasol’s influence
Rudez emphasized how much Rubio worked on himself.
“Ricky was the first player I saw who had his own doctor, osteopath, psychologist, therapist, conditioning coach… He even had his own shooting coach. You know, there was always debate about his shot, but Rubio would go to the gym every evening with his shooting coach and shoot. He wanted to get better and invested in himself.
Rubio wasn’t just there as a cheerful kid distributing assists. He was a tough grinder and worker. He told me how Pau Gasol instilled those values in him because Gasol always had a team of 10 people around him. He had a group of six, seven people who would analyze his game after each match, taking care of him. It was very impressive to watch” stated Damjan Rudez about his ex-teammate.