Follow usRajon Rondo has officially announced his retirement from the NBA after 16 seasons. Speaking on the “All the Smoke” podcast, Rondo wasted no time in responding when asked by host Matt Barnes if the NBA has seen the last of him.
“Absolutely,” the 38-year-old point guard said. “Yeah, I’m done. I can’t. I’d rather spend time with my kids.”
A four-time All-Star and two-time NBA champion, Rondo last played in the 2021-22 season with the Los Angeles Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers.
“What a time, it was definitely something that I never took for granted when I was in the game,” Rondo reflected. “I loved every minute of it, and I appreciate the brotherhood that I was able to share and bond and grow with over the years. I’ve learned so much in this game and it’s made me the man who I am today. … I tell people all the time, this wasn’t a dream of mine, it was a goal. I was able to lock in, stay disciplined, I didn’t party a lot in college. But it was worth the sacrifice of me getting to where I wanted to be in life.”
Throughout his career, Rondo led the NBA in steals per game in 2009-10 and in assists per game in 2011-12, 2012-13, and 2015-16. He made the league’s All-Defensive Team four times and won NBA titles with the 2007-08 Boston Celtics and the 2019-20 Lakers.
In his 957 career games (733 starts) with various teams including the Celtics, Mavericks, Kings, Bulls, Pelicans, Lakers, Hawks, Clippers, and Cavaliers, Rondo averaged 9.8 points, 7.9 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.6 steals.
