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Rajon Rondo has jersey retired at Eastern High School

Jack PIlgrimby:Jack Pilgrimabout 11 hours
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(Photo: Dr. Michael Huang/KSR)

Rajon Rondo may have gotten his degree from Oak Hill Academy, but his start came at Eastern High School in Louisville — a legendary Eagle who averaged 27.9 points, 10.0 rebounds and 7.5 assists per game en route to All-State honors in his third and final year before transferring to the national powerhouse to close out his career.

You know the rest of the story, Rondo taking his talents to Kentucky where he was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team in 2005 after setting the single-season steals record with 87. Putting up averages of 11.2 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 2.1 steals per game as a sophomore, the former Wildcats was drafted in the first round and went on to become a four-time NBA All-Star and two-time world champion.

As he enters the next stage of his life in coaching — he’s an assistant with the Milwaukee Bucks — and as a dad, his former high school brought Rondo back to his old stomping grounds this weekend to retire his jersey at Eastern.

Rondo was honored alongside former Louisville standout Herbert Crook, the late Felton Spencer and former WNBA player Jaynetta Saunders in the alumni ceremony Friday evening.

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“Very humbling. To be recognized and honored by the peers at my old school, it’s a great night for me and my family,” Rondo said at the event, via Chris Labar. “(I remember having a) great coach. Great teammates, great coaches. We fought hard every night. (I did it by) keeping the man above first, family first. Just continuing to count my blessings, staying humble and working every day.”

How about his support of his former school at the next level, especially following the coaching change from John Calipari to Mark Pope?

“From afar, I’m watching,” he said. “I’ve got a couple of other things going on, I’m still in school, doing some other things with other teams, but I’m always rooting for the UK blue.”

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2024-12-22