Ricky Rubio pauses his basketball game due to mental health.

Ahead of his country’s preparations to defend its championship at the FIBA World Cup, which begins later this month, Ricky Rubio of the Cleveland Cavaliers said on Saturday that he is taking a hiatus from basketball to focus on his mental health.

Rubio led Spain to the championship and an 8-0 record in the most recent World Cup, which took place four years ago. The seasoned point guard was also anticipated to play for Spain, which will attempt to defend its World Cup title beginning on August 25 in the Philippines, Japan, and Indonesia.

Along with that, Rubio requested that his “privacy be respected so that I can face these moments and be able to give more information when the time comes.” He had earlier this week abandoned the Spanish team’s training camp and was absent from the squad’s 87-57 exhibition victory over Venezuela in Madrid.

Next weekend, the Spanish squad will compete in two games in Malaga, Spain, including a contest versus USA Basketball on August 13. USA Basketball is ranked No. 2 in the FIBA world rankings, only behind the current World Cup champions. The events in Malaga are a part of Spain’s 100th anniversary celebration of its union.

The oldest and most seasoned player on Cleveland’s squad in terms of NBA years is 32-year-old Rubio. He spent 12 seasons playing in the league, making appearances with the Cavaliers, Minnesota, Utah, and Phoenix.

After missing the majority of the previous two seasons while recovering from a ruptured left ACL, he joined the Cavaliers for 33 games this past season, mostly as a backup.

The Spanish federation declared that “#LaFamilia will be by the player’s side at all times” as it “wishes to express its respect, admiration and affection for Ricky Rubio.”

In his NBA career, Rubio has averaged 10.8 points and 7.4 assists. In Spain’s victory over Argentina in the 2019 World Cup final, he scored a team-high 20 points.