Rajon Rondo
 |
| Boston Celtics | |
|---|---|
| Position | Point guard |
| Personal information | |
| Born | February 22, 1986 Louisville, Kentucky |
| Nationality | USA |
| Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Listed weight | 171 lb (78 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Oak Hill Academy |
| College | Kentucky |
| NBA draft | 2006: 21st overall |
| Selected by the Phoenix Suns | |
| Playing career | 2006–present |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
Rajon Rondo (born February 22 1986 in Louisville, Kentucky) is an American professional basketball player with the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association. He played for two years at the University of Kentucky before declaring for the 2006 NBA Draft. He was selected 21st overall by the Phoenix Suns, then traded to Boston. Rondo is known for his fast offensive pace and tremendous defensive abilities.
High school
Rondo attended Louisville's Eastern High School for three years where he played basketball under head coach Doug Bibby. There, as a junior he averaged 27.6 ppg, 10.0 rpg and 7.5 apg. He also earned All-State honors and was named the 7th Region Player of the Year. He transferred to Virginia's Oak Hill Academy for his senior year where he averaged 21.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg and 12.0 apg. Rondo was also crowned as a part of McDonald’s All-American Team in 2004 and scored a total of 14 points, 4 assists and 4 rebounds in the all-star game. He also participated in the 2004 Jordan Capital Classic game, logging 12 points, 5 assists and 4 steals. In his senior year, Rondo dished out 31 assists in a single game, merely four away from the all time national record. He is still in touch with Eastern’s Coach Bibby and maintains a strong friendship with him.
Rondo committed to Kentucky after originally intending to attend Louisville, UK's in-state rival. Sebastian Telfair was Louisville's primary concern, however, which left Rondo feeling ignored and shunned. When Tubby Smith offered Rondo a scholarship, he hungrily accepted. Telfair later changed his mind about attending Louisville and instead went straight to the NBA, leaving Louisville emptyhanded. Rondo, along with All-Americans Joe Crawford and Randolph Morris, rounded out the #1 recruiting class as rated by www.rivals.com.
College
Rondo led Kentucky to several wins including clutch-shot victories against the University of Louisville, South Carolina and Central Florida, but Kentucky failed to advance to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament in either Rondo's freshman or sophomore seasons. He was named to the SEC All-Freshmen Team. He set the UK single-season record for steals (totaling 87) his freshman year and made at least one steal in every game. In his sophomore year he had a career high 12 assists against Ole Miss and 25 points against Louisville. Rondo also set a UK record for most rebounds in a game by a guard, grabbing 19 rebounds in an early season loss to Iowa. He averaged 11.2 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 2.1 steals a game. He is not known as a shooter, however, going 18-66 from three with a 57.1% FT average.
Rondo was also named to the 2005 USA Men's Under-21 World Championship Team, which traveled to Argentina for the FIBA World Championships. He averaged 11.0 ppg and 4.5 apg in the eight-game tournament, garnering much attention from NBA scouts. The USA U-21 team won a gold medal at the Global Games held in Texas in late July.
NBA Draft
Rondo was drafted no. 21 in the first round of the 2006 NBA Draft by the Phoenix Suns, who then traded him to the Boston Celtics along with Brian Grant and the Cleveland Cavaliers first round draft pick in the 2007 NBA Draft and cash considerations. He was signed by the Boston Celtics on July 4, 2006.
Personal
Rajon is the son of Amber Rondo and has three siblings: Dymon, William, and Anton. He has a prized shoe collection and was majoring in social work. Rondo is very close to former Wildcat Derek Anderson and drives a car licensed to him.