Rajon Rondo reminisces on his Celtics tenure in podcast with Jemele Hill
Rondo called Game 7 of the 2010 NBA Finals "the most frustrating loss I've ever had."
Former Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo was not shy in sharing stories about his time in Boston on Jemele Hill’s podcast “Jemele Hill is Unbothered”.
Rondo said the Celtics’ loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 7 of the 2010 NBA Finals was “the most frustrating loss I’ve ever had.” He also said he believed he would’ve won Finals MVP if the Celtics won the series. Rondo averaged 13.6 points, 7.6 assists, and 6.3 rebounds per game in the series.
The other loss that Rondo said was one of the most painful was the Celtics’ loss to the Miami Heat in Game 2 of the 2012 Eastern Conference Finals. Rondo scored 44 points to go along with 10 assists and eight rebounds in the overtime loss.
“I felt like the refs cheated us on that one,” Rondo told Hill about that game.
Rondo also shared a story about the time that Celtics players boxed each other, ending in a fight between Rondo and Ray Allen.
“Patrick O’Bryant and [Paul Pierce] put on the gloves and then Tony Allen and [Glen] ‘Big Baby’ Davis put on the gloves,” Rondo said. “It was only right for me and Ray to go at it afterward. We put on the gloves and had a little fun in there.”
Rondo said the two connected on a couple of punches but didn’t say who won and they all went back into the gym to play basketball when they were done.
I asked Rondo if he feels misunderstood and he gave a very Rondo-esque answer:
To hear the full pod, download/subscribe FOR FREE —> https://t.co/z89HnOpXm4 pic.twitter.com/EDDP5upkkg
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) October 22, 2019
He also shared how important Kevin Garnett was as a mentor to him.
“He held me accountable…he was always positive for me. He never had anything negative to say,” Rondo said. “It was great for me to see a superstar…a first-ballot Hall of Famer take the back seat and set four or five more picks then he wants to.
“He was unselfish. He was the most unselfish teammate I’ve ever played with.”
Rondo also touched on a couple of film sessions where he let his opinion be heard, including one that ended with him throwing a water bottle that broke the TV. He said the incident cost him roughly $20,000.
Rondo, who now plays for the Lakers, said his playing career might end after this season if Los Angeles wins it all this year. He told Hill he wants to become a coach or a general manager once his playing days are done.
You can listen to Rondo on “Jemele Hill is Unbothered” here.
