Rajon Rondo Explains Career-Altering Postseason Moment Against Rockets

Former All-Star and two-time NBA champion Rajon Rondo detailed a career-defining narrative that was formulated when his former Dallas Mavericks faced off against the Houston Rockets in the postseason.

Apr 2, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Rajon Rondo (9) brings the ball up court against the Houston Rockets during the first quarter at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports / Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Rajon Rondo is one of the sharpest basketball minds of all-time, especially at the point guard position. Rondo won championships with multiple franchises and had an understated role with on both title teams. 

The former All-Star wasn't always the most coachable, as he had disagreements from time to time and was never afraid to speak his mind. After a nine-year run with the Boston Celtics that saw him make four consecutive All-Star teams and even an All-NBA team, the Celtics found themselves in need of a rebuild. 

Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett were well past their prime and Doc Rivers and Ray Allen had already changed homes. Rondo, who many believed was carried by the C's trio of Hall of Famers, was traded to the Dallas Mavericks in 2014, giving him a chance to win with a different franchise and silence his skeptics.

However, it didn't quite pan out that way, as Rondo and then Mavs coach Rick Carlisle regularly butted heads. The dissension reached a boiling point in the Mavs' 2015 postseason series against the Houston Rockets, as Rondo was sent away from the team after just two short games.

Many believed that Rondo ultimately quit on the Mavs during that series, prompting him to finally share his side of the story on Fanduel's Run It Back and reveal his version of what really happened.

"I made a play or something, didn't get the ball up the court in the violation time," Rondo continued. "And at that time people are like 'Oh, he quit on the team,' and I'm like 'How the (expletive) I quit on the team, that's never been in my DNA?'...

What happened in Dallas and the end of the season that year, I had a call with (former Mavericks GM) Donnie Nelson, Rick Carlisle, and (agent Bill Duffy) and they're like 'Rick doesn't want to coach you anymore, so we're gonna say your back is hurting and you're done playing.'

I said, 'Okay, (expletive) it' and I shot to Miami and I just kind of laid low and chilled there. So the narrative was 'Oh he quit on the team,' like (they) said 'Rick doesn't want to coach you.'"

The Rockets eliminated the Mavs within five games, which wasn't surprising, as the Rockets were the second seed, with a 56-26 record, while the Mavs were the seventh seed, with a 50-32 record. Rondo left the Mavs and signed with the Sacramento Kings at the end of the season.

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