There are just some things that are more important than basketball.
For Rajon Rondo, that’s getting time with his family, which led him to announce his official retirement from professional basketball during an appearance on the “All the Smoke” podcast on Monday.
Rondo hasn’t been on an NBA roster since the 2021-22 season when he played for both the Lakers and Cavaliers.
“Yeah, I’m done. I can’t. I’d rather spend time with my kids,” Rondo told host Matt Barnes when he asked if his time in the NBA was over.
“What a time, it was definitely something that I never took for granted when I was in the game,” Rondo added. “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.”
Rondo, a University of Kentucky star, played 16 seasons in the NBA, nine of which were with the Celtics, winning a title (2007-08) and making four All-Star teams during his time in Boston.
Rondo, a first-round pick by the Suns in 2006 before getting shipped to Boston on draft night, averaged 9.8 points, 7.9 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 957 career games.
He led the league in assists three times, steals once and was a All-NBA selection in 2011-12.
The 38-year-old was also an All-Defensive Team member on four different occasions.
He won NBA championships with the Celtics in 2008 and Lakers in 2020,
Rondo is finishing up his degree at the University of Kentucky through a mix of online and in-person classes, he said during the podcast appearance.
He’s also been coaching his 12-year-old son, Rajon Rondo Jr.
The elder Rondo has also been dealing with some legal issues after he was arrested in January in Indiana on charges of unlawful carrying of a firearm and possession of both drug paraphernalia and marijuana.
All are misdemeanors.
Rondo, who reportedly turned down a plea deal, is expected to go to trial starting on June 13, per Jackson County court records.