The Los Angeles Lakers have made a number of moves this summer, including signing veteran point guard Rajon Rondo. The hope is that Rondo can be a mentor for Lonzo Ball while also providing LeBron James with the kind of high-basketball IQ player that he wants to play alongside.
Rondo and the Lakers have been linked for years, with rumors persisting that the former Boston Celtics guard would eventually find himself in Los Angeles. For some time, speculation was such that Rondo would come to the Lakers in order to team up with Kobe Bryant, though that never came to pass.
However, when a Rondo-to-LA move looked to be in the cards, Bryant and Rondo did discuss the topic. “We spoke obviously last year before their free agency,” Rondo said on a conference call.
“Me meeting with Kobe a couple years back, I don’t think it has anything to do with it, but obviously it was an initial start to something that transpired into, obviously six or seven years later now I’m a Laker.
“Kobe’s obviously still around the organization and I look forward to talking with him and picking his brain as well. I’ll be excited to be around a bunch of legends and guys with so much knowledge. Hopefully I’ll be able to soak a lot of it from Magic, Kobe, and also especially LeBron.”
Rondo, who is well-known for having a brilliant basketball mind, should be in heaven soaking up knowledge from the likes of Bryant, Johnson, and James, while also giving some of the younger players a veteran mentor to learn from.
He believes being able to pass on that leadership was a factor to the Lakers having interest this summer. “Those guys kept a close eye on me throughout the season and they loved my performance,” Rondo said. “And what I was able to do with a young core and help the Pelicans go to where they were last year.”
While he took a long, winding road to get to Los Angeles, Rondo is finally a Laker, and now it’s time for him to prove that he still has plenty left in the tank.
Medium Large is looking to add motivated individuals with big dreams and a big appetite for success to our LakersNation.com direct sales team based in Los Angeles or Orange County. If you love sports, know digital sales, and can throw your weight behind an aggressive commission based opportunity than we would love to talk to you. Please apply at: http://mediumlarge.la/?jobs=1576. If you meet our criteria we will be in touch!