Sergio Rodriguez won't return to NBA for 2015-16 season

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Sergio Rodriguez and his untamed beard won't be returning stateside for the 2015-16 season.

The Spanish point guard has opted to stay with Real Madrid, the team with which he won a Spanish ACB league title last season, he told El Juego de Naismith.

While Rodriguez expressed confidence in mid-June that the reasonable buyout on the final three years of his contract with Real Madrid wouldn't be an impediment to an NBA jump, the club reportedly worked hard to prevent its leading playmaker from walking.

"I want to stay in Madrid," Rodriguez said, as translated by Sportando. "I'm very comfortable at Real Madrid. This is my city, and I've just become a father."

The draw of bringing Rodriguez stateside is obvious. The No. 27 pick in the 2006 draft was a solid backup in his four NBA seasons and has since developed into one of the best players outside the U.S., earning Euroleague MVP honors in 2014 and helping lead Spain to a silver medal at the 2012 Olympics.

In 71 games with Madrid last season, he averaged 10.6 points and 5.2 assists while knocking down 39.4 percent of his threes. He would've slotted in as a quality backup point guard had he landed with an NBA team.