Ricky Rubio was wheeling the cart—already teeming with matchbox cars, clothes and a sled—down one of the crowded aisles filled with toys when the little boy walking with him stopped.
“You adding more?” Rubio said with a grin. “Definitely we need another cart.”
The Utah Jazz’s starting point guard was taking children from Utah Boys & Girls Clubs on a holiday shopping spree. Because for Rubio—on and off the court—nothing is better than giving.
He can dazzle with his court vision and has been the team's assist leader this season, and he has also picked at least one charitable effort to contribute to each month.
“At the end of the day, why are we here? We’re here to help others,” he said.
And Rubio is especially happy to give back in Utah, where he said he has quickly found a home after being traded to the Jazz in the summer of 2017.
“It was a mix of emotions when I was traded,” Rubio recalled. “I was a little scared leaving a place I knew for six years. It was a little sad that I left unfinished business there. But when I came here, since Day 1, I knew it was something special. I felt it from Day 1. A lot of signs came to my mind.”
Rubio instantly felt a connection with Jazz head coach Quin Snyder after an hourlong phone conversation when he was traded. The next day, the Jazz showed Rubio how much they valued him when they asked him to join his new teammates during their free agency meeting with All-Star forward Gordon Hayward. And when Rubio saw the plans for the patch on the team’s jersey—an effort to eradicate cancer, the disease that had taken his mother’s life—Rubio felt it was another sign.
“A lot of things came to my mind saying this is the right team that I have to be on,” he said.
On the court, Rubio, despite averaging 12.9 points and 6.1 assists, is not having the start to the season he and his teammates had dreamed of. The Jazz have been up and down during the first third of the season as they’ve endured one of the league’s most difficult schedules.
“We’ve been showing two faces this season,” Rubio said. “We’ve got to show our A-face. We’ve got to bring it every night.”
Rubio, though, continues to be a model of consistency away from the court.
Last week, that meant navigating through a crowd of gleeful children at a Salt Lake City Target store, ensuring their Christmas would be a special one.
“All year, but especially this time of year, kids need a smile on their face for sure,” Rubio said.
The Christmas shopping spree is a tradition carried over from Rubio’s time with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
“We always had this event, helping kids in need to have a Christmas,” he said. “It was the most fun time of the year, spending time with the kids. It’s an event I really like. But I say why do something just one month? Why not do it everything month?”
The point guard is heavily involved with local charities. He supported the Volunteers of America Youth Shelter in October, 5 For The Fight in November, Make-A-Wish Foundation in December. He already has plans for the Special Olympics in January.
“Since Day 1, I’ve felt great with the Jazz organization. They’ve helped me with everything I’ve needed. One of them is getting connected with the community,” he said. “At the end of the day, a big part of the reason I’m here is the community. I want to give back to them as much as they give me.”
“My mom always taught me that helping others really helps you,” Rubio added.
Inside the Target, Rubio laughed as he helped the children pick out their gifts, getting lessons in Harry Potter trivia, Minecraft, and just how hot something called an L.O.L. is this Christmas season. He unsheathed a plastic sword and playfully fenced with one boy. He pulled a Spider-Man mask off the shelf and tried it on.
“Who is your favorite character?” a boy asked.
“Spider-Man,” Rubio said. “But just because we have the Spida.”
Rubio wanted to make sure the children got the Christmas gifts on their lists this week, but, just as important, he hoped they would buy presents for others, for their siblings and cousins.
So when Rubio stopped an already-full cart for one more gift, he was especially pleased.
“I want to get something for my niece,” the 10-year-old boy, Jabash, replied as he picked up a doll.
“You get a lot of stuff for the family,” Rubio told the boy, smiling wider still. “That’s great.”
That’s what it's all about for Rubio.
“Christmas brings the family together,” he said. “And at the end of the day, family is everything.”