Rajon Rondo defends watching end of Lakers loss from courtside seat
"I don't know why it's a big deal now."
Rajon Rondo says he doesn’t see what the “big deal” was with his decision to watch the final minutes of the flailing Los Angeles Lakers’ home loss Wednesday night to the Denver Nuggets from an unoccupied courtside seat.
The Lakers point guard’s seat — separated from the team’s coaching staff and players by several fans — irked ESPN color commentator and former NBA player Mark Jackson as the last seconds of the 115-99 loss wound down.
Rajon Rondo is sitting in the front row a half dozen chairs down from the bench and Mark Jackson goes off pic.twitter.com/zl6qEJj7L6
— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) March 7, 2019
“Look where Rondo is sitting. Unless he’s coming into the game, there’s no excuse for that. I live in L.A., so I watch Lakers games. That can’t happen. For whatever reason, that can’t happen,” Jackson said.
He added that the “unacceptable” act does not contribute to a “winning culture.”
Despite the criticism, Rondo told ESPN that it was nothing new. The former Celtics guard took a similar seat toward the end of a Lakers loss last month in Indiana and told The Los Angeles Times that he enjoys sitting in courtside seats, but doesn’t typically get the chance in Los Angeles.
I once asked Rondo about the infamous photo of the Lakers’ bench in Indy. Rondo was in fan seats then, too. He said he likes sitting in the courtside seats, they’re just usually full at Staples. 🤷🏽♀️ https://t.co/2KnC0xJJYm
— Tania Ganguli (@taniaganguli) March 7, 2019
“I’ve done it like maybe eight, 10 times this year,” Rondo told ESPN. “I don’t know why it’s a big deal now.”
The loss Wednesday saw the Lakers, who are in 11th place in the Western Conference, drop to 30-35, six games back from the final playoff seed — despite signing LeBron James last summer. The team is 2-8 in their last 10 games. Their season, which has been marred by injuries and mismanagement, would be the first time since 2005 that James has missed the playoffs.
