Rubio Was All Smiles Night Prior To Injury (Video)

Friday night, not only did the Minnesota Timberwolves lose their eighteenth consecutive game to the Los Angeles Lakers, the team also lost franchise point guard Ricky Rubio for six to nine months with a torn ACL.

In addition, the Spanish rookie sensation will not be able to participate in the Olympics for his native country this summer in London.

Rubio suffered the injury after his knee collided with Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant, late in the fourth quarter.

Since news of the injury broke, many NBA players, including Dwyane Wade and Kevin Durant, have tweeted their support for the Barcelona native's successful recovery.

One night prior to this unfortunate event, Rubio made an appearance at Ridgedale Center, a shopping mall in the Minneapolis suburb of Minnetonka, Minnesota. This event was sponsored by Best Buy, in celebration of the opening of their brand new Best Buy Mobile store.

Rubio was on hand for a quick Q&A session, where Best Buy had a few fans text questions to a phone for him to answer. He then sat down to sign autographs for the large crowd of screaming hoops fans in attendance.

Above is iFolloSports.com original video of Rubio thanking fans for their support and the warm reception that Minnesota has provided him since his arrival.

Rubio closed the sound bite by saying, “I hope you enjoy watching us play this year. Thank you and we'll try to beat the Lakers tomorrow.”

Little did Rubio, or anybody in attendance at the event realize that Friday's game versus LA would be Rubio's last until at least the beginning of next season.

What a terrible game it turned out to be.

Rubio has truly become a rock star in Minnesota, helping to turn around a previously dormant franchise with his playmaking abilities and captivating persona.

On a lighthearted note, during Thursday's appearance, Rubio answered questions regarding if he currently has a girlfriend and what he would do with a cell phone that can call internationally.

Take a look at the interaction per this iFolloSports.com original video.

Fans everywhere, most notably in the Upper Midwest, hope to see a healthy and fully recuperated Rubio next season and for many more seasons to come.