Former NBA champion Rajon Rondo decides to retire after 16 NBA seasons: ‘I’m done’

During an appearance on the All the Smoke podcast with host Matt Barnes, Rajon Rondo decided to announce his retirement from professional basketball. The 38-year-old, who started off his career in Boston back in 2006, has decided to call it quits after 16 years in the NBA. 

When asked by the interviewer if the league had seen the last of him, the point guard was quick to respond. “Absolutely,” he said without a doubt. “Yeah, I’m done. I can’t. I’d rather spend time with my kids.”

Fortunately for Rajon, he was able to crown his great career with two NBA championships, first with the Celtics and four years ago with their bitter rivals in Los Angeles. The four-time All-Star last played in the 2021/22 campaign for both the Lakers and the Cavaliers.

Rajon Rondo is retiring

What an amazing career ✊
pic.twitter.com/LgBtqa4tfh

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) April 2, 2024

Rondo has no regrets. “What a time, it was definitely something that I never took for granted when I was in the game,” he 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,” he concluded.

The veteran led the league in steals per match in 2009/10 and later in assists per game during three different seasons. Rajon made the NBA’s All-Defensive Team in four occasions, and ended with averages of 9.8 points, 7.9 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 1.6 steals across 957 career contests.

The athlete started in 733 games over almost a decade in Boston, the Mavericks in 2015, Kings, Bulls, Pelicans, Lakers, Hawks, Clippers and finally the Cavaliers. With Rondo officially hanging his basketball shoes, former teammate LeBron James believes he should use his high IQ to coach.

“Rajon Rondo. He could do things on the go. It’s very weird to me that he’s not coaching at a high level – I think it’s because he doesn’t want to do it. Who wants to deal with these rich entitled guys all the time?” he said.

LeBron James remembers Rondo as a great competitor and one of the smartest players he ever came across in the NBA

After playing in 9 franchises throughout his 16-year career, Rajon had his fair share of teammates. However, one of the most memorable was LeBron James, with whom he won an NBA Championship with back in 2020 as a Lakers athlete. After beating the Raptors on Tuesday night, the superstar recalled Rondo’s traits.

“One of the best players I ever played with.” he started out. “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.”

LeBron not only remembers him as a spectacular star, but also as a tough competitor. “He was a fierce competitor throughout my career when he was in Boston. You know the battles we had when I was in Cleveland and then going to Miami.

“He got everything out of his career and more. Two-time champion, multiple All-Stars, and for a couple of years, he led the league in assists or was up there. Spectacular player,” he added.