Former NBA Star Rajon Rondo Retires at 38
Louisville, Kentucky native Rajon Rondo, a former standout point guard in the National Basketball Association (NBA), announced his retirement at the age of 38, as reported by Alex Butler of Yahoo! Sports on Tuesday. Rondo’s career spanned 16 seasons in the NBA, from 2006 to 2022, during which he showcased his talents with various teams.
Rondo’s NBA journey saw him play for the Boston Celtics from 2006 to 2014, the Dallas Mavericks in 2014-2015, the Sacramento Kings from 2015 to 2016, the Chicago Bulls from 2016 to 2017, the New Orleans Pelicans from 2017 to 2018, the Los Angeles Lakers from 2018 to 2020 and again from 2021 to 2022, the Atlanta Hawks in 2020 to 2021, the Los Angeles Clippers in 2021, and the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2021 to 2022.
Throughout his illustrious career, Rondo appeared in 957 games, averaging 9.8 points, 7.9 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game. He maintained a field goal percentage of .456, a three-point percentage of .324, and a free throw percentage of .611.
Rondo’s exceptional play led him to top the league in assists per game on three occasions: with the Celtics in 2011-12 (11.7), in 2012-13 (11.1), and with the Kings in 2015-16 (11.7). Additionally, he led the league in steals per game in 2009-10 with an impressive average of 2.3 steals.
His tenure with the Celtics was particularly notable, as he led the NBA in steals in 2009-10 (189), recorded six triple-doubles in 2011-12, five in 2012-13, and amassed 839 assists in 2015-16 while with the Kings.
Rondo was a fixture in the NBA All-Star Games for four consecutive seasons, earning the honor in 2009-10, 2010-11, 2011-12, and 2012-13. He also clinched two NBA Championships, first with the Celtics in 2008 against the Los Angeles Lakers and later with the Lakers in 2020 against the Miami Heat.