Rajon Rondo officially announces retirement: 'I loved every minute'

After stints with nine different NBA teams, Rajon Rondo is officially retiring from basketball. During an appearance on the “All the Smoke” podcast, the former Kentucky standout didn’t hesitate to announce his decision when host Matt Barnes asked if he was done with the NBA.

“Absolutely,” Rondo said. “Yeah, I’m done. I can’t. I’d rather spend time with my kids.”

Rondo last played in the NBA in the 2021-22 season with the Cleveland Cavaliers. In 21 games for the franchise, Rondo averaged 6.2 points and 4.9 assists per game. The Cavaliers were the third team he’d played for in that season alone.

While Rondo wasn’t shattering records in his final days in the NBA, he was once a top point guard in the league. The Kentucky native made four straight All-Star Game appearances from 2009-13 while with the Boston Celtics.

During his illustrious career, Rondo was also a four-time All-Defensive Team member, a one-time All-NBA member, a three-time NBA assists leader, a one-time steals leader and a two-time champion. Rondo will forever be grateful for his memories on basketball’s biggest stage.

“What a time, it was definitely something that I never took for granted when I was in the game,” Rondo said. “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.”

In total, Rondo averaged 9.8 points, 7.9 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 957 career games (733 starts) with the Celtics (2006-15), Dallas Mavericks (2015), Sacramento Kings (2015-16), Chicago Bulls (2016-17), New Orleans Pelicans (2017-18), Lakers (2018-20, 2021-22), Atlanta Hawks (2020-21), Los Angeles Clippers (2020-21) and Cavaliers (2021-22).

Before capturing NBA fans’ attention, Rondo was must-see television at Kentucky. He spent two seasons with the program, leading the Wildcats to the 2005 SEC regular-season championship after posting a school-record 87 steals as a freshman.

As a sophomore, he led the Wildcats in assists (167), total rebounds (209), points scored (380) and steals (69). He received All-SEC second team honors for his efforts. Rajon Rondo’s legacy on the court at Kentucky and in the NBA won’t be forgotten anytime soon.