By Bob Sansevere
I turned pro when I was 14 years old. I started playing basketball when I was 4. Even though I turned pro at 14, I’ve been in Barcelona forever. It’s a big move to come to Minnesota, but I feel comfortable here. People are so nice. They try to help you. I feel a little change in my life will help me grow up as a person.
I try always to share the ball, to make everybody happy. It’s impossible to make everybody in the same game happy because we are, like, 12 players. But if we’re sharing the ball, everybody feels better.
A guy who can stop time – that’s the superhero power I’d want. The only thing you cannot control, even if you’re a millionaire, is time.
In the beginning, I was mad with everybody when I lost a game. Nobody could talk to me. You never get used to losing, but when you lose more than two games in a row, you realize you can get mad with everybody, with yourself, with some teammates, with coaches – but only in basketball life. Not in your outside life.
I don’t like liars. When you realize somebody lies or cheats on you, I hate that.
I want the people in Minnesota to know that I want to be a normal person who can go to a restaurant, who can go shopping. I don’t want to be anything else.
If I had a time machine, I would go back 200 years. I want to know how they lived, how they worked without all the machines. It’s an easier life now. With all the machines now, with an iPhone and phones and all this stuff, it’s easy. Even if you’re on the other side of the world, you can talk with someone here. Two hundred years ago, you didn’t even know what was around.
I liked “The Simpsons” growing up. I had a couple more cartoons I liked, but they were in Spanish. I really loved “The Simpsons.” I still watch it.
When I was younger, I played soccer. I tried to swim. I played all kinds of sports, including baseball.
My parents had the biggest influence on me. My mom taught me a lot of things. She always was around me for everything.
You always dream about one day playing in the NBA.
I didn’t think about playing professionally when I was a kid. I was playing basketball because I loved it. In school, I was thinking about being a doctor or something like that.
I was a pretty good kid. Of course, kids do wrong things, but I didn’t do one bad thing that stands out.
I love “Braveheart” with Mel Gibson.
I love funny movies. I love comedy. I love Will Smith. My favorite comedy? I would pick one of his movies.
My favorite actress: Angelina Jolie.
I don’t have an entourage. A couple of friends may come to visit. I have really, really good friends in Barcelona. They’re trying to plan to come here.
You have to be honest. My dad taught me you always have to think that you’re not the best at nothing. You always have to improve, and you’ll always have something to do to become a great player.
I love Spanish food. We have a bread with tomato. You don’t slice the tomato. You smash the tomato in the bread and put on some oil and salt. And we have some ham, real ham. It’s great. I love shrimp, too, with garlic. I’d want that to be my last meal.
I’d want my friends to say, “He’s normal. He’s shy, and he tries to always be with his close friends, his real friends.”
I have a girlfriend, and I’m not looking for anything else.
Most prized possession? When I was a kid, I had a lot of teddy bears. I used to love them. I still have them. They are in my parents’ house, in my old bedroom. I took one of them with me – my favorite one.
When I was a kid, I read all the Harry Potter books. I didn’t see all the movies. I’m not a big fan of the movies. I prefer to read the books.
I like all kinds of music. Spanish music. Hip-hop. Kanye West. It depends on the moment. A lot of the time I like relaxed music, like Phil Collins.
When I signed my first contract in Spain, I was 16. I think I brought all my family to dinner. It wasn’t big money.
I don’t plan a big purchase. I’m going to save the money I get (from the Timberwolves). I don’t want to spend a lot of money. This is big money now, but maybe in the future you don’t have it and you’ll need it.
I love “Friends.” I used to watch it all the time, and I have all the DVDs. I watch “How I Met Your Mother,” too.
I wouldn’t change anything about my life. I like how my life is.
I don’t know what my vision is. I don’t need glasses or contacts.
My dad gave me a lot of advice. He said whenever you go on the court you have to think you can improve something. You never can think you know enough, whether it’s practice or what-ever.
I don’t listen to bad advice.
If I could trade places for a day with anyone, it’d be somebody from an island who doesn’t have to do nothing and can just lay on the beach.
I want my epitaph to say, “Here lies Ricky Rubio, who was a guy who tried to help the world.” I’d like to try to help as many people as I can.
Bob Sansevere can be reached at [email protected].
