After 16 seasons in the NBA, veteran point guard Rajon Rondo officially announced his retirement on Monday night. Speaking on the All The Smoke podcast starting at the 29:30 mark, Rondo confirmed he is “absolutely” finished with his professional basketball career, expressing his desire to prioritize spending time with his children.

Life of a legend:

Rondo, aged 38, split the 2021-22 season between the Los Angeles Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers following a midseason trade to Cleveland. In his 21 appearances for the Cavs, he averaged 6.2 points, 4.9 assists, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.1 made three-pointers in 19.5 minutes per game, shooting 42.9% from the field and 39.7% from beyond the arc.

His tenure with the Lakers concluded after the 2020-21 season, and subsequent unsigned contracts for the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons essentially marked the end of his playing days. Rondo’s later years in the league were marked by sporadic appearances due to injuries, featuring fewer than 50 regular-season games in each of his final four seasons.

During his prime years with the Boston Celtics from 2006-07 to 2014-15, Rondo earned four All-Star selections, four NBA All-Defensive team honors, two assists titles, and one steals title. He played a pivotal role in the Celtics’ 2008 NBA championship victory over the Lakers, averaging 11.0 points, 8.5 assists, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.9 steals in 527 regular-season games with the team.

Following his stint in Boston, Rondo journeyed through several teams, including the Dallas Mavericks, Sacramento Kings, Chicago Bulls, New Orleans Pelicans, Atlanta Hawks, Los Angeles Clippers, and Cavaliers. His notable achievement came in the 2019-20 season when he contributed to the Lakers’ championship success, tallying averages of 8.9 points, 6.6 assists, 4.3 rebounds, 1.4 steals, and 1.3 made three-pointers per game in the playoffs.

Across his entire career, Rondo appeared in 957 regular-season games, boasting career averages of 9.8 points, 7.9 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.6 steals. He ranks 15th on the NBA’s all-time assists list with 7,584 assists.

Fun fact about Rondo:

During a recent conversation on the “All The Smoke” podcast with Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes, Rajon Rondo, formerly a standout player for the Boston Celtics and a four-time NBA All-Star, revealed an interesting pre-game superstition. He confessed to having a ritual of indulging in extended showers before games.

“I always shower with about forty-five minutes on the clock before meetings… I will put on my uniform as the coach is talking. Some coaches liked it, some coaches did not, but for the most part, I was able to pull my veteran move and get it done… I showered on game days about five times,” said Rajon. He revealed that sometimes he used to shower five times on game days to keep himself refreshed.