Former Utah Jazz guard Ricky Rubio recently wrote an article in The Players’ Tribune paying tribute to his late mother, Tona Vives, who passed away from cancer in 2016. The current Phoenix Suns point guard detailed the heartbreak of losing his mother in the article.
When Mama opened the door, seeing her face … that’s the best feeling in the world. Dad told me that coming out there was the best medicine she could ever have. But I could see she was hurting. I held her hand as much as I could. I sat by her bed the whole time. I didn’t want to let go. She told me she wouldn’t quit.
A day later, I had to fly back.
Two more months passed before the season ended. I did what I needed to do on the court. But it was so hard. My mind was far away. I thought of my mother all the time. After our last game of the season, I flew home again.
Mama died a few weeks later.
When someone you love dies, it’s like a fog wraps around you. That’s how it was for me. I felt so directionless. Every year, when I would go back to Minnesota for training camp, I’d begin every day the same way: FaceTiming Mama. The first season after she died, I would wake up and think about calling her. It made me want to break my phone. But I couldn’t delete her number. I even sent her text messages sometimes. I still do. For a while, I felt like I was losing my mind — like I was talking to myself.
Rubio detailed how the 5 For The Fight charity and patch on the Utah Jazz’s jerseys were special to him and his family. Rubio went on to start his own foundation a year later.
The opportunity in Utah was for another fresh start. My first year there was also the first year in the NBA where teams could put ads on their jerseys. The Jazz had a 5 FOR THE FIGHT patch. I learned that it was charity for cancer research.
Everything happens for a reason.
I met with Ryan Smith, the CEO at Qualtrics — the company that had helped get the patch on our jerseys — and I asked him about different foundations, and how I’d go about creating my own. That was just the start. That year, Dad and I visited a few different hospitals in Utah, including the Huntsman Cancer Institute. We met so many kids, I saw so many smiles. I think it did more for me and Dad than it did for those kids. We left that day and on the ride home, Dad said what we were both thinking.
“Mama was there today with us,” he told me. “We’re making her proud.”
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And finally ...
BYU football coach Kalani Sitake gets emotional while talking about one of the program’s recent “True Blue” heroes.