Rajon Rondo
From Hoopedia
| Name |
|---|
| Image:.jpg |
| Position Point Guard |
| League NBA |
| Height 6 ft 1 |
| Weight 171 lbs |
| Team Boston Celtics |
| Born February 22,1986 in Lousville, Kentucky |
| College Kentucky |
| Drafted 21st overall in 2006 by the Phoenix Suns |
| Pro Career 2006 - |
| Former Teams none |
Rajon Rondo (born February 22, 1986 in Louisville, Kentucky) is a player for the Boston Celtics of the NBA.
Contents |
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 University of Louisville, UK's in-state rival. Sebastian Telfair, who eventually skipped college and went straight to the NBA, was Louisville's primary recruiting target, however, and when Tubby Smith offered Rondo a scholarship, he accepted.Rondo, along with McDonald's All-American Joe Crawford and Randolph Morris, rounded out Rivals.com's top-rated recruiting class for 2004.
College
Rondo led Kentucky to several wins including clutch-shot victories against the University of Louisville, University of South Carolina and University of 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 University of Mississippi 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 University of 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
Following the 2005-06 NCAA season, Rondo announced he would forgo his final two seasons at Kentucky, hire an agent, and enter the NBA draft.
Rondo was drafted 21st overall by the Phoenix Suns in the 2006 NBA Draft. Phoenix then traded him to the Boston Celtics along with Brian Grant for the Cleveland Cavaliers' first round draft pick in the 2007 NBA Draft and cash considerations. In another draft day deal, the Celtics acquired Telfair from the Portland Trail Blazers, finally uniting the backcourt Pitino had envisioned at Louisville. He was signed by the Boston Celtics on July 4, 2006.
NBA highlights
- With many injuries on the Celtics roster, Rajon Rondo got increased minutes and started 25 games as a rookie.
- On March 17, 2007 Rondo pulled down a career-high 14 rebounds in a victory against the San Antonio Spurs.
- Rondo has had six 4-steal games.
- On April 7, 2007 Rondo had a career-high 7 steals in a loss to the Indiana Pacers.
- As a starter Rondo averaged 10.6 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 5.8 APG and 2.4 SPG
- Rondo led all rookies in 2006/07 in total steals, steals per game and steals per-48 minutes.
Personal
Rondo 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.
Career Statistics
| G | FG% | FT% | Rebs | RPG | Asts | APG | Pts | PPG |
| 78 | .418 | .647 | 292 | 3.7 | 297 | 3.8 | 501 | 6.4 |
Quick Facts
| Full Name: Rajon Rondo |
| Born: 2/22/1986 in Louisville, Kentucky |
| High School: Oak Hill Academy(Virginia) |
| College: University of Kentucky |
| Drafted: 2006 - Phoenix Suns 21st overall |
| Transactions: Draft rights traded from the Phoenix Suns to the Boston Celtics for Cleveland's 2007 first-round draft pick |
| Height: 6-1 |
| Weight: 171 lbs |
| Honors: None |
