Rajon Rondo announces retirement from NBA: 'I'm done'
Rajon Rondo officially announced his retirement from the NBA after 16 seasons.
During an appearance on the "All the Smoke" podcast, Rondo was quick with a response 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 said. "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."
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.
He averaged 9.8 points, 7.9 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 957 career games (733 starts) with the Celtics (2006-15), Dallas Mavericks (2015), Sacramento Kings (2015-16), Chicago Bulls (2016-17), New Orleans Pelicans (2017-18), Lakers (2018-20, 2021-22), Atlanta Hawks (2020-21), Los Angeles Clippers (2020-21) and Cavaliers (2021-22).
LeBron James, who won a championship with Rondo on the Lakers in 2020, called him a "spectacular player" after L.A.'s game on Tuesday night.
"One of the best players I ever played with." he said. "Obviously his IQ is out of this world and I was very lucky to get to team up with him at that point here when I was in L.A. ... just being a fierce competitor throughout my career when he was in Boston, obviously our battles that we had when I was in Cleveland and then going to Miami."
Rondo is scheduled to stand trial on April 25 in Jackson County, Indiana, on a charge of unlawful possession of a firearm as well as misdemeanor drug paraphernalia and marijuana charges. In February, he rejected a plea agreement offer from prosecutors. His attorneys have since argued that the gun charge should be dismissed because it violates Rondo's Second Amendment rights.
ESPN's Dave McMenamin and Field Level Media contributed to this report.
