Rajon Rondo spent his whole career with the team that drafted him, the Boston Celtics, and was a four time All-Star and became a champion during his eight plus seasons there. Now Rondo is preparing himself for an emotional return as the Dallas Mavericks visit the Boston Celtics Friday night.
It was a rocky road for Rondo during his time in a Celtics uniform as he was drafted onto a team that won 18 games his rookie season, won an NBA title the following year and has begun a rebuilding process the last couple seasons. There were even talks and rumors of how Rondo clashed sometime with the Celtics' "Big 3," Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce, as well as former head coach Doc Rivers. Nonetheless, Rondo knows it'll be hard to fight back the tears as the Mavericks travel to Boston to take on the Celtics.
"Hopefully I won't be too emotional, try not to cry a little bit, but I'm very excited to go back," Rondo said. "Those fans are amazing there. If I do [tear up], hopefully the camera isn't on me too much. I'm going to try to blink a lot."
Rondo trade rumors began to speculate at the end of the "Big 3" run in Boston as age began to catch up to them. Rondo then suffered a torn ACL in his right knee in 2013 and that began the Celtics most recent rebuilding process and the end of an era in Boston. Rondo remained the remaining piece from the 2008 championship team and it seemed evident at that point he'd be traded sooner rather than later but Rondo's love for the fans never wavered.
"Even when we were losing 18 in a row the first year, the fans still showed a lot of support. They came to every game. When I was out on the streets, they didn't kill me or heckle me. It was always supportive. They're true fans. They're not fair-weather fans, when you're losing, they're gone. They ride it out and be a Celtic for life."
"Boston is one of the great sports cities in the world, and the reason people in Boston identify with him is because of his uncompromising competitiveness and the fact that he's an absolute original," Carlisle said. "He's just a one-of-a-kind player."
Rondo seems to finding his groove with his new teammates as they're coming off two impressive victories over the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Washington Wizards. Rondo's been a big reason for that in large part due to his great defensive play and excellent court vision. Coach Carlisle have welcomed Rondo's competitive nature and will to win another championship.
"I gave it my all every time I went out on the floor as a Celtic," Rondo said. "I played for the team, obviously. It was a great opportunity to play for one of the best organizations in sports history."
