Rajon Rondo has been through a lot during his career in the NBA, although he has been able to accomplish a lot. Back in 2008, he won an NBA championship with the Boston Celtics, and in 2020, he took home yet another chip, this time with the Los Angeles Lakers. He is the first player to win a title with both franchises, and fans look at him as the perfect playoff competitor, hence the nickname "Playoff Rondo."
There have been times where Rondo had to go through adversity, namely during the 2014-2015 season when he was with the Dallas Mavericks. While appearing on the "The Full 48" podcast, Rachel Nichols of ESPN explained how Rondo once told her that he almost quit basketball because of his time with the Mavs. After a falling out with his head coach, very few teams wanted him, and he wasn't sure where to go from there.
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Per Nichols:
“He told me he almost retired a few years ago because when the catastrophe in Dallas happened between him and Rick Carlisle —and we can assign all kinds of blame for that. He said that only two teams called him that offseason, and that he was sort of thinking, ‘Well maybe I just don’t want to do this anymore.’ He could have been out of basketball.”
Thankfully, Rondo persevered and continued to play at a high level. We're sure Lakers fans are thanking him for sticking with it, as the Lakers wouldn't have a title without him. His experience was instrumental in the playoffs, particularly the championship-clinching game against the Heat.
[Via]