Overview
Rajon Pierre Rondo (, born February 22, 1986) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A point guard, Rondo played two years of college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats before being drafted 21st overall by the Phoenix Suns in the 2006 NBA draft and subsequently traded to the Celtics in a draft-day trade. Rondo is a two-time NBA champion, four-time NBA All-Star, has earned four NBA All-Defensive Team honors including two First Team honors, and was named to the All-NBA Third Team in 2012.
During his time in Boston, Rondo helped the Celtics advance to the NBA Finals in 2008 and 2010, winning a championship in 2008 as the team's starting point guard. Rondo is known to be a versatile facilitator in the NBA, leading the league in assists three times and in steals once; he also ranks fourth in Celtics history in assists and third in steals. Rondo has sometimes been described as a "stat-sheet stuffer", ranking 13th in NBA history for triple-doubles with 32 in the regular season, and fifth in NBA history for triple-doubles with 10 in the playoffs.
After seasons with the Celtics, Rondo was traded to the Dallas Mavericks in December 2014. Following a tumultuous five-month stint he turned into a journeyman, joining the Sacramento Kings, Chicago Bulls, New Orleans Pelicans, Los Angeles Lakers (two stints), Atlanta Hawks, Los Angeles Clippers, Cleveland Cavaliers over the next years. With the Lakers, he won a second championship in 2020.
Early life
Rondo was born on February 22, 1986, in Louisville, Kentucky. He has three siblings. He had little contact with his father, who left his family when he was seven years old. To support the family, his mother worked the third shift at Philip Morris USA, a tobacco company. 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.
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