Most Impactful Kentucky Wildcats: #19 Rajon Rondo

#19 Rajon Rondo

2004-2006

Louisville, Kentucky (Eastern High School)

Like the other 2 impactful players I have covered in this marathon, Rondo was part of the super recruit class by Tubby Smith. And again that class included Randolph Morris, Joe Crawford, Ramel Bradley and the transfer Patrick Sparks. Rondo would turn out to be Tubby’s most successful player he has recruited, and that is because of his star playing in the NBA. Rajon Rondo was known as a “stinker” while at UK, by the coaches. Fans loved him, some disliked of course but most liked him. There is a reason why he was impactful at Kentucky, but it’s for a different reason than you think.

Rajon Rondo was born in Louisville, Kentucky, Rondo attended Eastern High School and Oak Hill Academy for his high-school basketball career. After Rondo became serious about basketball, he attended Louisville’s Eastern High School for three years where he played under head coach Doug Bibby. During his junior year at Eastern High School, he averaged 27.9 points, 10.0 rebounds and 7.5 assists which earned him a spot on the 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 points per game (ppg), 3.0 rebounds per game (rpg) and 12.0 assists per game (apg) and finished the 2003–04 season with a 38–0 record. In his senior year at Oak Hill Academy, Rondo broke Jeff McInnis’s single-season school record of 303 assists, while averaging a double-double. There, he included two efforts of 27 assists and a single-game school record of 31, merely four away from the all-time national record. He also had a 55 point game in high-school, second highest all-time in Oak Hill Academy, surpassed only by Calvin Duncan with 61.Rondo was named to the 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. He ended his career as Oak Hill Academy’s all-time assists leader in a single season with 494 assists, surpassing Jeff McInnis. He played for two years at Kentucky before declaring for the 2006 NBA Draft, represented by agent Bill Duffy.

During the draft, Rondo was selected 21st overall by the Phoenix Suns, and was traded to the Boston Celtics, where he made his NBA debut as a rookie during the 2006–07 season. He played a supporting role before he established himself as the starting point guard for the Celtics during the 2007–08 season. That season, Rondo earned his first NBA Championship, playing alongside All-Stars Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce. His breakout performance came during the 2009 NBA Playoffs, where he nearly averaged a triple-double, and helped his team take the eventual Eastern-conference champion Orlando Magic seven games in the Eastern semi-finals. He ranks eighth in Celtics history in assists and fifth in steals.

Rondo’s impact wasn’t really from his time at Kentucky, but more of his time in the NBA. He makes the Big Blue Nation very proud everytime he takes the floor.

Boston Celtics franchise records:
Most assists in a single season: 794 (2009–10)
Most steals in a single season: 189 (2009–10)
Most assists in a playoff game: 20 (2010–11)
Most assists per game (season): 11.7 (2011-12)
Most consecutive games with 10+ assists (regular season): 24 (2011-12)