Rajon Rondo



Rajon Pierre Rondo (born February 22, 1986) is an American professional basketball point guard with the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association(NBA). Born in Louisville, Kentucky, Rondo attended Eastern High School and Oak Hill Academy for his high-school basketball career, before receiving a scholarship from the University of Kentucky. He played for two years at Kentucky before declaring for the 2006 NBA Draft, represented by agent Bill Duffy.

During the draft, Rondo was selected 21st overall by the Phoenix Suns, and was subsequently traded to the Boston Celtics, where he made his NBA debut as a rookie during the 2006–07 season. He played a supporting role before he established himself as the starting point guard for the Celtics during the 2007–08 season. That season, Rondo earned his first NBA Championship, playing alongside All-Stars Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce. His breakout performance came during the 2009 NBA Playoffs, where he nearly averaged a triple-double, and helped his team take the eventual Eastern-conference champion Orlando Magic seven games in the Eastern semi-finals.[1] He ranks eighth in Celtics history in assists and fifth in steals.[2] {| class="toc" id="toc"

Contents
[hide] *1 Early life
 * 2 College career
 * 3 NBA career
 * 3.1 2006 NBA Draft
 * 3.2 Rookie season
 * 3.3 2007–08 season
 * 3.4 2008–09 season
 * 3.5 2009–10 season
 * 3.6 2010–11 season
 * 3.7 2011–12 season
 * 4 NBA career statistics
 * 4.1 Regular season
 * 4.2 Playoffs
 * 5 Awards and honors
 * 6 See also
 * 7 Footnotes
 * 8 External links
 * }

Early life
Rondo was born on February 22, 1986 in Louisville, Kentucky to Amber Rondo.[3] He has three siblings: Dymon, William and Anton.[4] He had little contact with his father, who left his family when he was seven years old.[4] To support the family, his mother worked the third shift at Philip Morris USA, a tobacco company.[4] 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.[4] After Rondo became serious about basketball, he attended Louisville's Eastern High School for three years where he played under head coach Doug Bibby. 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), 3.0rebounds per game (rpg) and 12.0 assists per game (apg) and finished the 2003–04 season with a 38–0 record.[5] 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.[5] 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.[6] 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. He also participated in the 2004 Jordan Capital Classic game, logging 12 points, 5 assists and 4 steals. He ended his career as Oak Hill Academy's all-time assists leader in a single season with 494 assists, surpassing Jeff McInnis.[7]

College career
Rondo committed to University of Kentucky over hometown University of Louisville.[8] Rondo, along with All-Americans Joe Crawford and Randolph Morris, gave Kentucky the top-rated recruiting class for 2004 according to Rivals.com.[9] Rondo led Kentucky to several wins including clutch-shot victories against theUniversity of 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 SECAll-Freshmen Team.[10] He set a Kentucky Wildcats 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.[11] He finished his freshman year at Kentucky averaging 8.1 points, 2.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.6 steals.[12]

In his sophomore year he had a career high 12 assists against Ole Miss, despite playing just 23 minutes, and 25 points against Louisville.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-12">[13] Rondo also set another Kentucky Wildcats record for most rebounds in a game by a guard, with 19 rebounds in an early season loss to Iowa.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-13">[14] He was not known for being a shooter, however, going 18–66 from three with a 57.1% FT average. He averaged 11.2 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 2.1 steals per game in his sophomore year.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-CollegeStats_11-1">[12] Rondo was also named to the 2005 USA Men's Under-21 World Championship Team, which traveled to Argentina for the FIBA World Championships.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-14">[15] He averaged 11.0 ppg and 4.5 apg in the eight-game tournament, garnering much attention from NBA scouts. The USA U-21 team won a gold medal at the Global Games held in Texas in late July.

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.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-15">[16] 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.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-16">[17] He was the first point guard to be chosen in the draft.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-17">[18] In another draft-day deal, the Celtics acquired Sebastian Telfair from the Portland Trail Blazers, finally uniting the backcourt Rick Pitino had envisioned at Louisville.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-18">[19] He was signed by the Boston Celtics on July 4, 2006.

Rookie season
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.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-19">[20] 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,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-NBAbio_2-1">[3] and record his first career double-double in a road losing effort against theWashington Wizards.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-20">[21] 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.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-NBAbio_2-2">[3] After officially becoming a starter, he began to receive more playing time (career-high forty-seven minutes of playing time)<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-NBAbio_2-3">[3] and show improvement (career-high fourteen rebounds against the San Antonio Spurs,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-21">[22] and a career-high seven steals against the Indiana Pacers).<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-NBAbio_2-4">[3] As the mid-season approached, his numbers began to increase,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-RookieRank_22-0">[23] which earned him an All-Rookie Second Team selection.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-23">[24] He finished the season with an average of 6.4 ppg and 3.8 apg,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-stats_24-0">[25] ranking in the top ten in the NBA in steals (128)<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-25">[26] and also ranking in the top ten among rookies in several other categories, including first in steals, second in assists and sixth in minutes.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-RookieRank_22-1">[23] 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
Rondo in Game 4 of the 2008 NBA Playoffs against the Atlanta Hawks.After Telfair and West were traded during the offseason of the 2007–08 season, Rondo secured a spot in the starting lineup, starting in every game. Surrounded by All-StarsKevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, he quickly became a steady, consistent player.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-26">[27] 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).<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-stats_24-1">[25] 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.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-27">[28] He made his successful return from injury and to the starting lineup in a road win against the New York Knicks.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-28">[29] A week later, he matched his career-high against the Miami Heat,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-29">[30] and then scored a career-high 24 points in a home game against the Los Angeles Clippers the following month.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-30">[31] During the All-Star break, he was selected to play on the Sophomore Team in the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge and Youth Jam.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-31">[32] Following the All-Star weekend, Rondo recorded a career-high 16 assists in a home victory against the Charlotte Bobcats.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-32">[33] Despite his solid rookie year, there was much speculation about Boston needing a veteran point guard.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-RondoResponds_33-0">[34] In March, they signed veteran point guard Sam Cassell as a free agent to serve as a backup.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-RondoResponds_33-1">[34] 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.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-34">[35] 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 defeated 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.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-35">[36] The ankle injury was considered a "non-factor", and Rondo eventually made his return in Game 4.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-36">[37] In Game 6, the point guard posted a playoffs career-high 6 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.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-RondoResponds_33-2">[34]

2008–09 season
Rondo with a layup in a game against the New Orleans Hornets.In his third NBA campaign, the Celtics began the season with the best starting record in NBA history and also set a franchise record with a nineteen-game winning streak.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-37">[38] Rondo's numbers increased from his previous season performance; however, he was criticized for his shooting.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-38">[39] He recorded his first career triple-double along with a career-high in assists (16 points, 13 rebounds and 17 assists), against the Indiana Pacers.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-39">[40] In a home win against the New York Knicks, Rondo led the team to tie a franchise record with eighteen straight wins.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-40">[41] However, after the winning streak was snapped the team struggled, losing seven out of nine games after ending the streak.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-41">[42] Rondo—matched up with one of the league's quicker guards, Tony Parker—recorded 16 assists in a losing effort against the Spurs, one short of his season-high.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-42">[43] Less than a week later against the Mavericks, he recorded his second career triple-double (19 points, 15 rebounds and 14 assists),<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-CeltMavs_43-0">[44] and then recorded a career-high 32 points against the Phoenix Suns on his 23rd birthday.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-44">[45] He became the first NBA athlete to sign an endorsement contract with Red Bull on April 17, 2009. He finished the season ranking fifth in the NBA in assists (8.2) and steals (1.9).<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-45">[46] The team finished the season as the second seed in the Eastern Conference, although they entered the playoffs without their injured All-Star power forward Kevin Garnett.

In the playoffs match-up against the Chicago Bulls, despite putting up a playoff career-high 29 points in Game 1, the Celtics lost in overtime.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-46">[47] Boston won the next two games and in Games 2 and 4, Rondo recorded triple-doubles<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-47">[48] and became the first Celtic player with two triple-doubles in the same series since Larry Bird in 1986. He also became the first player with multiple triple-doubles in the same playoff series since Jason Kidd had three triple-doubles in the 2002 Eastern Conference Finals.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-48">[49] In Game 6, he recorded a career-high 19 assists without a turnover, tying an NBA playoffs record.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-elias_49-0">[50] In the next round against the Orlando Magic, the Celtics lost the first game before Rondo's triple-double performance in Game 2 helped secure a home win. His third triple-double of the postseason tied Larry Bird's franchise record and also became the first to do that since Jason Kidd had four.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-50">[51] However, the Celtics were defeated in seven games in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-51">[52] During the postseason, Rondo nearly averaged a triple double with 16.9 points, 9.7 rebounds and 9.8 assists.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-infop_52-0">[53]

2009–10 season
During the 2009–10 season, Rondo averaged career highs in points (13.7), assists (9.8) and steals (2.3) and became the first Celtic to lead the league in steals.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-53">[54] On November 2, 2009, Rondo signed a five-year extension with the Celtics worth a guaranteed $55 million.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-54">[55] In a road victory against the Orlando Magic on Christmas day, Rondo recorded 17 points, 13 rebounds and 8 assists, two assists shy of a triple double.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-55">[56] Three days later, Rondo scored 30 points along to go with 15 assists in a road loss to the Golden State Warriors.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-56">[57] On January 10, 2010, Rondo recorded his third regular-season career triple-double, with 22 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds against the Toronto Raptors.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-57">[58] On January 28, 2010, he received his first NBA All-Star selection as a reserve on the Eastern Conference squad for the 2010 NBA All-Star Game.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-58">[59] He also competed in the 2010 H-O-R-S-E contest but lost In the finals to Kevin Durant.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-59">[60] Rondo recorded his fourth regular-season career triple-double against the Denver Nuggets on March 24, 2010, with 11 points, 15 assists and 11 rebounds.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-60">[61] Two days later against the Sacramento Kings, Rondo entered the game tied with Rick Fox for a franchise record of most steals in a single-season (167), eventually establishing the record with a second-quarter steal from Sean May.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-61">[62] In a game against the Houston Rockets on April 2, 2010, he broke Bob Cousy's franchise record for most assists in a single-season.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-62">[63]

In the 2010 NBA Playoffs, the Celtics defeated the Miami Heat in five games and faced the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round. In Game 2, Rondo dished out 19 assists tying his career-high and also tying a franchise record for most assists in a playoff game.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-63">[64] In Game 4, he recorded his fourth postseason triple-double along with a playoff career-high 29 points and 18 rebounds.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-64">[65] He joined Wilt Chamberlain andOscar Robertson as the only other player in NBA history to have 29 points, 18 rebounds and 13 assists in a playoff game.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-unofficialleader_65-0">[66] The Celtics eventually defeated the Cavaliers and the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals in six games.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-66">[67] In the Finals, the Celtics once again faced the Los Angeles Lakers, a team they previously beat in 2008. In Game 2, Rondo recorded his second triple-double of the postseason (19 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists),<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-67">[68] however, despite Rondo's performance, the Celtics succumbed to the Lakers in seven games.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-68">[69]

2010–11 season
In the first game of the 2010–11 season, Rondo put up 17 assists, which tied with Oscar Robertson for the third-most assists in a season opener.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-69">[70] In the third game of the season, he dished out a career-high 24 assists along with a triple-double (10 points and 10 rebounds) against the New York Knicks.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-70">[71] It tied him with Isiah Thomas as the only players in NBA history to have at least 24 assists in a triple-double.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-onefortheages_71-0">[72] His total of 50 assists through the first three games of the season tied John Stockton's NBA record for most assists in the first 3 games of the season.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-onefortheages_71-1">[72] In the next game against the Detroit Pistons, he finished the game with 17 assists for a total of 67 assists, which is the most assists in the teams first four games in NBA history.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-72">[73] With a 15 assists effort the following day, Rondo again set a record for most assists through the first five games.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-73">[74]

Rondo's season also began with injuries. He has played through plantar fasciitis in his feet.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-74">[75] He missed three games in November due to a strained left hamstring.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-75">[76] He sprained his left ankle in a win against theNew York Knicks on December 15, 2010, and missed the next seven games.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-76">[77] On April 22, in the third game of the first-round playoff series against the New York Knicks, Rondo had a triple-double with 20 assists.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-playoffs_assist_77-0">[78] Rondo set a Celtics franchise record for most assists in a playoff game. He was also tied with LeBron James with 6 career triple-double in the playoffs until James had reached his seventh further on in the playoffs during Game 4 of the Finals.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-playoffs_assist_77-1">[78] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-78">[79] Rondo had the third best selling jersey in the league during the 2010-11 season, behind only James and Kobe Bryant.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-79">[80]

2011–12 season
On February 21, 2012, Rondo was named an injury replacement for Joe Johnson on the Eastern Conference roster at the 2012 NBA All-Star Game.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-80">[81] With 18 points, 17 rebounds, and 20 assists against the Knicks on March 4, he joined Wilt Chamberlain, Magic Johnson, and Jason Kidd as the only players to have at least 15 points, rebounds, and assists in the same game.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-81">[82] In a win against the Heat on April 1, Rondo registered another triple-double (16 points, 14 assists and 11 rebounds).<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-82">[83] His streak of at least 10 assists in 21 straight games was the longest streak since 1992, joining Stockton and Magic Johnson as the only players with at least 10 assists in 20 straight games in a single season.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-83">[84] He posted his sixth triple-double of the season (with 20 assists) in a win against the Hawks on April 11.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-84">[85]

NBA career statistics

 * Correct as of end of 2010-11 season<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-stats_24-2">[25]

Awards and honors
Rondo at the championship parade of the 2008 NBA Champions Boston Celtics.*1×NBA Champion: 2008
 * 3×NBA All-Star: 2010, 2011, 2012 <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-85">[86]
 * 3×NBA All-Defensive:
 * First Team: 2010, 2011
 * Second Team: 2009


 * NBA All-Rookie selection:
 * Second team: 2007


 * NBA regular season leader:
 * steals: 2010 (189)
 * steals per game: 2010 (2.3)


 * Boston Celtics franchise records:
 * Most assists in a single season: 794 (2009–10)
 * Most steals in a single season: 189 (2009–10)
 * Most assists in a playoff game: 20 (2010–11)