Over his six seasons in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, Pete Mickeal earned a reputation as a skilled, physical and intelligent player. He spent the last four of those seasons wearing the FC Barcelona uniform and was a force on Barça’s 2010 EuroLeague-championship-winning side when he either led the team or was second in scoring (12.0 ppg.), rebounding (5.1 rpg.) and PIR (14.1).
Pete Mickeal: ‘Ricky looks already in great shape’
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That season was also the first with the club for the then-basketball prodigy Ricky Rubio, who was just 18 years of age when he first teamed with Mickeal. The two built a lasting bond, which Mickeal spoke about this week with Javier Gancedo of the EuroLeague’s official website.
How Rubio helped save Mickeal’s career
Mickeal revealed that Rubio, whom he said he considers to be like a son, helped revive his career with a phone call. It came after Mickeal’s final season with Barcelona came to a premature end when he was diagnosed with a pulmonary embolism.
“I was at my worst moment in 2013 and when he called me, he gave me confidence. And from that confidence, I restarted my career because at that point I was going to retire. But I ended up playing another four years because I had people like Ricky… who cared about me and lifted my spirits up,” Mickeal said.
Mickeal on what Rubio brings to Barcelona
After retiring, Mickeal spent some time as an NBA scout and now runs the NTX International Combine, so he knows a thing or two about talent. And Mickeal is convinced that Rubio has exactly what Barcelona needs to make a run at some silverware.
“I think in May, you'll see the effect that he has on his team between May and June,” Mickeal explained. “It's the most important times of the year, April, May and June. And to have that type of experience that he has, I mean, there's no dollar price you can put on that.”