Rajon Pierre Rondo Sr. (; born February 22, 1986) is an American former professional basketball player. Rondo won two NBA championships, was selected four times as an NBA All-Star, earned four NBA All-Defensive Team honors including two First Team honors, and was named to the All-NBA Third Team in 2012.
Rondo played two years of college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats before being drafted 21st overall by the Phoenix Suns in the 2006 NBA draft and immediately traded to the Boston Celtics. As the team's starting point guard, Rondo helped the Celtics win the NBA Finals in 2008 and return in 2010. Rondo was a versatile facilitator, leading the league in assists three times and in steals once; he ranks fourth in Celtics history in assists and third in steals. Rondo has been described as a "stat-sheet stuffer" as his 32 regular season triple-doubles rank 16th in NBA history, while his 10 in the playoffs rank sixth. He is regarded as one of the Celtics' greatest point guards ever.
After seasons with the Celtics, Rondo was traded to the Dallas Mavericks in December 2014. After a tumultuous five-month stint he turned into a journeyman, joining the Sacramento Kings, Chicago Bulls, New Orleans Pelicans, Los Angeles Lakers (two stints), Atlanta Hawks, Los Angeles Clippers, and Cleveland Cavaliers over the next years. He won a second championship in 2020 with the Lakers.
Early life Rondo was born on February 22, 1986, in Louisville, Kentucky. He has three siblings.Springer, Shira, No catching Rondo, The Boston Globe, May 17, 2009, accessed July 20, 2009. He had little contact with his father, who left his family when he was seven years old. To support the family, his mother worked the third shift at Philip Morris USA, a tobacco company. Rondo was first interested in football, before his mother steered him towards basketball because she felt that the sport would be less punishing on his skinny frame.
After Rondo became serious about basketball, he attended Louisville's Eastern High School for three years. During his junior year at Eastern High School, he averaged 27.9 points, 10.0 rebounds and 7.5 assists which earned him a spot on the All-State honors and was named the 7th Region Player of the Year. He transferred to Virginia's Oak Hill Academy for his senior year where he averaged 21.0 points per game (ppg), 3.0 rebounds per game (rpg) and 12.0 assists per game (apg) and finished the 2003–04 season with a 38–0 record. In his senior year at Oak Hill Academy, Rondo broke Jeff McInnis's single-season school record of 303 assists, while averaging a double-double. There, he included two efforts of 27 assists and a single-game school record of 31, merely four away from the all-time national record. He also had a 55-point game in high-school, second highest all-time in Oak Hill Academy, surpassed only by Calvin Duncan with 61. Rondo was named to the McDonald's All-American Team in 2004 and scored a total of 14 points, 4 assists and 4 rebounds in the all-star game.2004 McDonald's All-American Team He also participated in the 2004 Jordan Brand Capital Classic game, logging 12 points, 5 assists and 4 steals.2004 Jordan Brand Classic Box Score Rondo was also named a second-team Parade All-American. He ended his career as Oak Hill Academy's all-time assists leader in a single season with 494 assists, surpassing McInnis.
College career Rondo committed to Kentucky over hometown Louisville. Rondo, along with All-Americans Joe Crawford and Randolph Morris, gave coach Tubby Smith and Kentucky the top-rated recruiting class for 2004 according to Rivals.com. Rondo led Kentucky to several wins including victories against Louisville, South Carolina and Central Florida, but Kentucky failed to advance to the Final Four of the NCAA tournament in either Rondo's freshman or sophomore seasons. He was named to the SEC All-Freshmen Team. He set a Kentucky record for most steals in single-season, with a total of 87 steals in his freshman year and made at least one steal in every game. He finished his freshman year at Kentucky averaging 8.1 points, 2.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.6 steals."Rajon Rondo – Kentucky Wildcats – College Basketball ". Rivals.com, accessed July 13, 2009
In his sophomore year, he had a career-high 12 assists against Ole Miss, despite playing just 23 minutes, and 25 points against Louisville. Rondo also set another Kentucky record for most rebounds in a game by a guard, with 19 rebounds in an early season loss to Iowa. He was not known for being a shooter, however, going 18–66 from the three-point line with a 57.1 percent free throw average. He averaged 11.2 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 2.1 steals per game in his sophomore year. Rondo was also named to the U.S. men's national under-21 basketball team, which traveled to Argentina for the 2005 FIBA Under-21 World Championship. He averaged 11.0 points and 4.5 assists in the eight-game tournament, garnering much attention from NBA scouts. The U.S. men's national under-21 basketball team won the gold medal at the Global Games held in Texas in late July.
Professional career
Boston Celtics (2006–2014)
2006 NBA draft Following the 2005–06 NCAA season, Rondo announced he would forgo his final two seasons at Kentucky and enter the NBA draft. Rondo was drafted 21st overall by the Phoenix Suns in the 2006 NBA draft. Phoenix then traded him to the Boston Celtics along with Brian Grant for the Cleveland Cavaliers' first-round draft pick in the 2007 NBA draft and cash considerations. He was the first point guard to be chosen in the draft.Lexington Herald-Leader (June 29, 2006). "The Phoenix Suns took former Kentucky point guard Rajon Rondo with..." Access My Library Retrieved on June 20, 2009. Rondo was signed by the Celtics on July 4, 2006.West Invites Competition at Point
2006–07 season: Rookie year During his rookie season in the NBA, Rondo played a supporting role and would split time with Sebastian Telfair and Delonte West. Rondo only started in 25 games that season due to his initial backup role to Telfair. He made his NBA regular season debut on November 1, 2006, in a home loss against the New Orleans Hornets.Associated Press. (November 1, 2006). "NO/Oklahoma City Hornets vs. Boston Celtics Recap ". ESPN. Retrieved on July 13, 2009. In his rookie season, he lacked on his jump shot which resulted in him slashing to the basket for a teardrop or layup. While coming off the bench, he managed to score a career-high 23 points against the Toronto Raptors, and record his first career double-double in a road losing effort against the Washington Wizards."NBA.com: Celtics at Wizards Boxscore ". NBA.com. July 13, 2009. In his first career start, he matched his career-high against the Los Angeles Clippers, though the line-ups were constantly being shuffled between Telfair and Rondo at the point guard. After officially becoming a starter, he began to receive more playing time (career-high 47 minutes of playing time) that led to an improvement in production (career-high 14 rebounds against the San Antonio Spurs,Associated Press. (March 17, 2007). "Boston Celtics vs. San Antonio Spurs Recap ". ESPN. Retrieved on July 14, 2009. and a career-high 7 steals against the Indiana Pacers). As the mid-season approached, his numbers began to increase, which earned him an NBA All-Rookie Second Team selection. He finished the season with an average of 6.4 ppg and 3.8 apg,Rajon Rondo Info Page – Career Stats and Totals , nba.com, accessed July 20, 2009. ranking in the top ten in the NBA in steals (128) and also ranking in the top ten among rookies in several other categories, including first in steals, second in assists and sixth in minutes. In the end, however, the Celtics finished the season with a 24–58 win–loss record and failed to qualify for the playoffs.
2007–08 season: First championship
After Telfair and West were traded during the off-season of the 2007–08 season, Rondo secured a spot in the starting lineup, starting in every game. Surrounded by All-Stars Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, he quickly became a steady, consistent player. In his 77 games played, he averaged 10.6 points per game (ppg), 5.1 assists per game (apg) and 4.2 rebounds per game (rpg). His role as a playmaker reflected in him leading the team in assists and steals. In a game against the New Jersey Nets, Rondo suffered a lower back injury late in the third quarter, forcing him to miss the next four games.Associated Press. (January 11, 2008). "Boston Celtics vs. New Jersey Nets Recap ". ESPN. Retrieved on July 13, 2009. He made his successful return from injury and to the starting lineup in a road win against the New York Knicks.Associated Press. (January 21, 2008). "Boston Celtics vs. New York Knicks Recap ". ESPN. Retrieved on July 13, 2009. A week later, he matched his career-high against the Miami Heat,Associated Press. (January 29, 2008). "Boston Celtics vs. Miami Heat Recap ". ESPN. Retrieved on July 13, 2009. and then scored a career-high 24 points in a home game against the Los Angeles Clippers the following month.Associated Press. (February 6, 2008). "Los Angeles Clippers vs. Boston Celtics Recap ". ESPN. Retrieved on July 13, 2009. During the All-Star break, he was selected to play on the Sophomore Team in the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge and Youth Jam. Following the All-Star weekend, Rondo recorded a career-high 16 assists in a home victory against the Charlotte Bobcats.Associated Press. (February 29, 2008). "Charlotte Bobcats vs. Boston Celtics Recap ". ESPN. Retrieved on July 18, 2009. Despite his solid rookie year, there was much speculation about Boston needing a veteran point guard. In March, they signed veteran point guard Sam Cassell as a free agent to serve as a backup. The Celtics' best single-season improvement in NBA history earned them the number one seed in the Eastern Conference Playoffs.
Following the regular season, Rondo finished in the top five for the NBA Most Improved Player voting. Rondo made his playoff debut on April 20, 2008, against the Atlanta Hawks and finished the game with 15 points, 9 assists and 2 steals. The Celtics closed out the series in seven games, went on to defeat Cleveland in the next round, and then beat the Pistons in the Eastern Conference finals. In the NBA Finals, facing the Los Angeles Lakers, Rondo recorded two strong performances, including a career-high 16 assists in game 2. In game 3, however, Rondo left the court in the third quarter after rolling his ankle. The ankle injury was considered a "non-factor," and Rondo eventually made his return in game 4. In game 6, the point guard posted a playoffs career-high six steals as the Celtics defeated the Lakers 4–2, giving Rondo his first NBA championship ring. After the game Lakers head coach Phil Jackson called Rondo the "star" of game 6.
2008–09 season: Breakthrough