Former Los Angeles Lakers guard Rajon Rondo has not played in the NBA since the end of the 2021-22 season with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Despite that, he is not officially retired, or at least has not announced a formal retirement. But it’s unlikely he’ll see an NBA floor as anything other than a coach ever again.
Rondo is one of the most respected minds of the 2000s in basketball. His crafty handles, elite court vision and intelligence made him an on and off-court leader of two championship teams, one with the Boston Celtics in 2008 and another with the Lakers in 2020. He is undoubtedly going to be a coach in the NBA in short order.
But on Sunday afternoon in Indiana, Rondo was arrested for a number of minor charges that included unlawful possession of a firearm and drug paraphernalia, according to Jason Riley of WDRB:
Former University of Kentucky basketball and NBA star Rajon Rondo was arrested Sunday in Indiana for unlawful possession of a firearm, drug paraphernalia and marijuana, according to court records and a spokesman for Indiana State Police.
Rondo was stopped for a traffic violation in Jackson County, Indiana, Sunday afternoon and a trooper smelled marijuana, leading to a search that found a gun, a “personal use” amount of marijuana and drug paraphernalia, ISP spokesman Sgt. Stephen Wheeles said Monday night.
Rondo, 37, was not supposed to have a firearm because he had a no-contact order taken out against him in court. The charges are all misdemeanors.
Rondo should not face any serious trouble for these charges, as the report states that they are all misdemeanors. This is relatively similar to the situation that Alex Caruso found himself in when he and Rondo were teammates on the Lakers, as Caruso was arrested in Texas for similar charges.
Caruso did not face any repercussions from the situation and it’s unlikely Rondo will either. But for now, the former Laker has some minor business to take care of before returning to the world of the NBA and his eventual coaching career.
D’Angelo Russell learned from Rajon Rondo growing up
It has been only a few weeks since the last time Rondo’s name was brought up within the Lakers organization, when he received praise from D’Angelo Russell.
Russell said that Rondo helped him learn communication skills on and off the court when he was growing up.
“I grew up with the Rondos of the world, watching him and being around some of the same people that he grew up with and became who he became through his learning tree,” Russell revealed. “We had a familiar coach in Doug Bibby that kind of sprinkled the same sauce on us both and kind of gave us the same confidence when we were in basketball at a young age. So his kind for the game, we both come from the same backyard when it comes to that.”
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