Rajon Rondo’s Journey: From NBA Stardom to Coaching Aspirations

When Rajon Rondo, a former NBA All-Star and two-time champion, tied the knot in Lake Como, Italy in June, among the attendees was his first NBA head coach. Now, the Milwaukee Bucks’ head coach, Doc Rivers, had some advice for Rondo: “Get your ass to camp.”

Transition from Player to Coach

Rondo, who wrapped up a 16-year professional career in the NBA in April, has now joined the Bucks as a guest coach for their training camp at UC Irvine. According to Rivers, Rondo will continue to stay with the team in a not-yet-specified role for the rest of the season. “You’ll see him a lot,” Rivers promised.

Rondo, who played for the Los Angeles Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers in his final season, expressed his ambition to become an NBA coach one day. “There’s a lot of factors that go into coaching,” he acknowledged. “You just can’t say, I’m going to be a coach, and then everything works out. It requires a lot of sacrifice and learning.”

Rondo’s Coaching Experience: The Early Days

In his Bucks attire, Rondo has been assisting players during practice sessions and jotting down his observations. “I’m learning what it looks like,” he shared about his experience on the coaching staff. Rondo doesn’t have a strict career map in mind, instead focusing on absorbing as much information as possible.

Rondo didn’t reveal whether he had received offers from other teams, but he did express gratitude for Rivers, who had coached him for seven seasons in Boston, for providing this opportunity. Rivers reciprocated the sentiment, praising Rondo. “He’s the smartest player I’ve ever coached,” Rivers stated.

The Potential: Rondo as a Future Coach

Rondo’s potential for becoming a coach has been recognized almost since his basketball career began. His high school coach, his college coach at Kentucky, Rivers, and later Brad Stevens, all predicted that Rondo would one day become a coach.

Rondo has been preparing for this journey by studying the coaches on the nine teams he played with throughout his NBA career. “There’s a different type of respect that you have when you look at it from their perspective,” he explained.

Rondo’s Future: Patience and Passion

Rivers suggested that Rondo would need to develop patience with players who couldn’t see the game as he did. However, Rondo believes that his life experiences, especially being a father of three, have helped him develop patience.

Rondo, a four-time All-Star, has had an impressive NBA career, leading the league in steals per game and assists per game multiple times. He won NBA titles with the Boston Celtics and the Lakers.

Now, Rondo is working towards finishing his bachelor’s degree in human communications at the University of Kentucky — a journey he started nearly 20 years ago. Rondo’s journey from an NBA star to an aspiring coach is reminiscent of Rivers’ own transition from an NBA point guard to a head coach. “I just think there’s certain guys that should be a coach,” Rivers concluded.