Rajon Rondo grew up in Louisville, KY with three siblings and his mother, Amber. He attended Eastern High School, where he began to blossom as a player his junior year. As a senior he attended Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Va., where he drew attention from college coaches.
By the time Rondo graduated from Oak Hill in 2004, he had scored 55 points in one game and had 27 assists in another. But before college coaches realized what they were missing, Rondo was a McDonald’s All-American, played in the Jordan Capital Classic game, and had committed to the University of Kentucky.
“The years at Kentucky were great. The crowd, the atmosphere and all the demands of UK basketball prepared Rajon for the pros,” says Rondo’s Eastern High School Coach Doug Bibby.
In 2006, after his sophomore year at UK, Rondo declared for the NBA draft. Even though Rondo had proved himself to be a great talent with unbelievably large hands, long fingers, great ball-handling skills, speed and quickness, some scouts questioned his leadership skills and his shooting ability.
But there was one team that couldn’t keep its eyes off of him: the Boston Celtics.
Danny Ainge, the President of Basketball Operations and a former NBA point guard, saw something great in Rondo. That is why in the 2006 NBA Draft, the Phoenix Suns selected Rondo as the 21st pick in a pre-arranged deal that would bring Rondo immediately to the Boston Celtics. Danny Ainge got the player he wanted.
“We believe Rondo has a chance to be a special player,” Ainge said at the time. “We wouldn’t have done the deal if we didn’t think he has the chance to be the quality of a player of an Al Jefferson, a Gerald Green… those kinds of players.”
Rondo’s first season with the Celtics was a learning experience. He made his first start on Feb. 2 as the Celtics lost their 14th straight game. He played well, with 23 points, six rebounds, six assists and four steals, but did not secure his starting position until March 9. He then started in 22 of Boston’s final 23 games.
“I didn’t know what to think when he got here,” said Celtics’ Coach Doc Rivers. “But I saw a player with a high IQ who was willing to put in the work.”
During the summer of 2007, Minnesota General Manager Kevin McHale, a friend and former teammate of Ainge, desperately tried to acquire Rondo in a trade with the Celtics. But Ainge was not about to let the sensational player go. And neither was Celtics’ principal owner, Wye Grousbeck.
“Rondo was not going to be traded. Period!” Grousbeck said.
And Rondo gave the Celtics just what they wanted. In his second season, Rondo started in 77 games, including all 26 playoff games. In the Celtics’ final game, Rondo had 21 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and six steals as Boston defeated the Los Angeles Lakers at home for the 2008 NBA Championship – the franchise’s 17th overall.
The 6-foot-2 point guard from Louisville, Ky. has been razzling-and-dazzling ‘em since the end of his rookie season, and he just keeps getting better and better. Now, at 24 years old, he is the face of the most storied franchise in NBA history. In Boston, The Point is taken.
Rajon Rondo's Likes and Dislikes
Artists: Lil Wayne, Common, Jay-Z, and T.I. (Secretly loves R&B)
Restaurants: Boston: The Cottage Kentucky: Bonefish
Clothing Stores: Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom
Food to eat: Tacos
Places to go: Boston: King’s Bowling Alley Kentucky: Fourth Street Live Road games: Out to eat at nice restaurants with the team
Hotels: The Ritz and Four Seasons
TV Shows: any reality TV, NBA TV, and ESPN
Sports Announcers: Hubie Brown, and Tommy Heinsohn
Shoe he wishes was “The Rondo Shoe”: Nike Huarache
Most memorable game: 2008 NBA Finals – Championship Victory
Away stadium: Dallas Mavericks Arena
NBA player: Rajon Rondo
NFL team/player: Minnesota/Brett Farve
MLB team: Red Sox
Other Sports: Tennis/ Track
Movie: “Love & Basketball”
Hobbies: Sleeping, any sports activity, and helping children
Song that is played at a NBA game: Black Eyed Peas “I Got a Feeling”
Board game: Connect Four RR plays it on Wii, iPhone, and as a board game
Rajon also names some places and things he prefers to avoid:
Avoidances:
Least favorite high school gym: Louisville DeSales
Least favorite road venue in college: Florida
Toughest road crowd in the NBA: Cleveland and Golden State
Social scene: RR doesn’t like a lot of attention; he’s a rather shy person who prefers to simply blend in.
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