Two-time NBA champion Rajon Rondo announced his retirement from the league Tuesday on Matt Barnes’ podcast “All the Smoke”
Rondo, who turned 38 in February and spent 16 years in the league, last played in 2022 when he spent a combined 39 games with the Los Angeles Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers
Barnes asked Rondo if the NBA had seen the last of him, to which the four-time NBA All-Star replied, via ESPN, “Absolutely. I’m done. I can’t. I’d rather spend time with my kids.”
Originally drafted by the Boston Celtics in the first round of the 2006 NBA Draft, Rondo’s career-best seasons came in Boston. His nine seasons with the Celtics were responsible for all four of his All-Star selections, in addition to two appearances on the NBA’s All-Defensive First Team (2010 and 2011). Rondo also won the first of his two NBA championships with Boston when the team defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2008 NBA Finals.
Rondo’s time in Boston came to an end in December 2014 when he was traded to the Dallas Mavericks for a deal that brought Jae Crowder to the Celtics. From there, Rondo would go on to play for the Sacramento Kings, Chicago Bulls, and New Orleans Pelicans for a year each before signing with the Lakers as a backup point guard and mentor to Lonzo Ball. Rondo spent the next two seasons with the Lakers and won the 2020 NBA Championship with the team.
After his time with the Lakers came to a close, Rondo spent time with the Los Angeles Clippers and Atlanta Hawks before finishing his career with the Lakers and Cavaliers.
[ESPN]
