Rajon Rondo
Teams
Boston Celtics - 2006-14
Dallas Mavericks - 2014-15
Sacramento Kings - 2015-16
Chicago Bulls - 2016-17
New Orleans Pelicans - 2017-18
Los Angeles Lakers - 2018-20, present
Atlanta Hawks - 2020-21
Los Angeles Clippers - 2021
Playoffs
Appearances - 10 (2008,2009,2010,2011,2012,2015,2017,2018,2020,2021)
Conference Finals - 5 (2008,2010,2012,2020,2021)
NBA Finals - 3 (2008,2010,2020)
Championships - 2 (2008,2020)
Awards and Honors
All-NBA First Team - 0 (2010,2012)
All-NBA Second Team - 0 (2009,2011)
All-NBA Third Team - 1 (2012,2016)
*(actual in bold, deserved in italics)
All-Time Ranks
Assists Per Game - #13
Total Assists - #14
Total Steals - #50
Steals Per Game - #61
League Leads
Assists Per Game (#1-2012,2013,2016, #2-2011, #4-2010,2018, #5-2015)
Total Assists (#1-2016, #2-2012, #3-2010,2011, #5-2009)
Total Steals (#1-2010, #4-2011, #5-2009)
Steals Per Game (#1-2010, #2-2011, #5-2009)
After averaging 11.2 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 2 steals per game as a sophomore at Kentucky, Rajon Rondo entered the NBA Draft, where he was selected by the Phoenix Suns with the 21st overall pick, and then he was immediately traded to the Boston Celtics for a future draft pick.
Rondo averaged only 6.4 points as a rookie on a bad Celtics team, but the team traded for Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett after that year, and Rondo was suddenly on the best team in the league. He averaged 10.6 points and 5.1 assists as the starting point guard that year, then played better in the playoffs. In the Finals against the Lakers, Rondo had 16 assists in Game 2, then 6 steals in the deciding Game 6, and ended up with his first championship.
Rondo got better and better over the next several years. He averaged 11.9 points and 8.2 assists the next year, but the Celtics struggled in the playoffs because Kevin Garnett was injured, and fell in the second round, with Rondo averaging 16.9 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 9.8 assists in the playoffs, just short of a triple double.
The next year he finished #4 in the league in assists and led the league with 2.3 steals per game, and also set a career high with 13.7 points per game, and the fully healthy roster was able to make a return trip to the NBA Finals, where they faced the Lakers again, but this time they fell just short, losing in 7 games to Los Angeles.
The next year, Rondo raised his assists to 11.2 per game, which made him the runner-up in the league, then led the league in each of the next 2 years. Injuries had started to cause him to miss games, missing 14 games in 2011 and 13 in 2012 with various foot and ankle issues. He tore his ACL about halfway into the 2012-13 season, but he had already recorded enough assists to qualify for the full-season leaderboard, which allowed him to win the assist title with only 38 games played.
He missed an entire year of action, returning halfway through the next year, but after about a year of him playing at a slightly reduced level, Boston traded away their long-time point guard to the Dallas Mavericks. He did not get along well with Dallas' coach, and was left on the bench for the final 3 playoff games as the Mavericks fell in the first round, at which time they released Rondo.
He signed as a free agent with the Sacramento Kings, where he showed that he still had something left in the tank, averaging 11.9 points and 11.7 assists per game, the latter of which led the league, giving him his 3rd assist title. After the season, he was again a free agent, and he decided to sign with the Chicago Bulls.
He helped the Bulls reach the playoffs that year, but broke his thumb in Game 2, and the Bulls lost 4 straight games with him on the bench, then released him after the season. He went to New Orleans, where he was able to help the Pelicans reach the second round, but they fell to the Warriors, and he was once again a free agent.
He signed with the Lakers in 2018, and after battling through injuries in 2 seasons with the team, he was able to win his second championship, and though he didn't contribute as much to this title as his first, he still put up 9 points and 6.5 assists per game during the team's playoff run.
He signed with the Hawks last year, where he played less than 15 minutes per game through the first half of the season before being traded to the Clippers, where he was given a little more playing time and helped the team reach the Conference Finals for the first time in their history. Last month, he was traded to the Grizzlies, who released him, leaving him free to resign with the Lakers 2 weeks ago to chase a 3rd championship.
Rondo has been overshadowed by teammates who were bigger stars throughout his career, but he was one of the top point guards in the league for a long time, recognized or not. He led the league in assists 3 times and finished in the top 5 four other times, and was the steals leader once as well. He is known for playing his best in the playoffs, and has earned his spot on this list of the top players of all time.
Arguably the most underrated Point Guard of all-time, easily a top 50 player. He's the best PG defender other than Gary Payton, and he's pretty much the ideal PG for almost any team. He's extremely unselfish, which is probably why he didn't win many awards despite deserving them. Unfortunately, playing hero ball and being a selfish player are almost always awarded by the All-Star voters and the Media who vote on the awards. He was easily the best PG every year from 2009 to 2017. The thing that bothers me most about Rondo is how people act like he just randomly fell off around 2014 or 2015, despite the fact that his per minute stats stayed almost exactly the same. The only thing that changed was he was given less minutes and less opportunities, but he was still the same excellent player.
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