Boston Celtics
Rondo, 40, spent last season on Doc Rivers’s staff with the Bucks.
Rajon Rondo believes the Celtics are capable of winning it all this season. (Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)
-
Bill Simmons: Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla ‘screwed this series up’ vs. Sixers
-
Kendrick Perkins roasts Jaylen Brown’s comments on refs: ‘The agenda was y’all couldn’t make shots’
Former Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo is among several finalists for the Pelicans’ head coach opening, according to a report from The Athletic.
“New Orleans has been deliberating over finalists Darvin Ham (a Bucks associate head coach under Rivers), Steve Hetzel (Brooklyn assistant), Sean Sweeney (San Antonio associate head coach) and Rajon Rondo (a coaching associate with the Bucks),” The Athletic’s Sam Amick wrote. “(Jamahl) Mosley has long been believed to be a possible candidate if he became available, but it’s unclear as of yet if he’ll be added to the list.”
Rondo, 40, spent this past season on the Bucks coaching staff under Doc Rivers. Rivers, who was recently elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, stepped down after Milwaukee finished 32-50.
Rondo played the first half of his 16-year NBA career with the Celtics, making four All-Star appearances. He won a pair of championships — one with the Celtics and the other with the Lakers.
Rondo told The Boston Globe in 2013 that he kept the possibility of coaching in the back of his mind during his playing days.
“I watched Doc [Rivers] for seven years,” Rondo said at the time. “I watched how he handled certain players, how he handled certain situations, how you handle a four-game losing streak, how you handle a 10-game winning streak.”
Brad Stevens said they were having conversations about Rondo’s coaching potential back then, and mentioned that Rondo had drawn up some good plays.
Numerous people have said over the years that they could see Rondo becoming a coach one day. Two years ago, LeBron James said he found it to be “weird” that Rondo was not already coaching at a high level.
Kevin Garnett said Rondo’s basketball IQ and ability to relate to players are a couple of the qualities that could lead him to success.
“Rondo not only has the intelligence, but the knowledge,” Garnett said during a recent appearance on KG Certified. “He has grown the patience. Rondo has a young son, shoutout to Pierre, who is a younger version of Rondo.
“We had to have a certain level of patience with Rondo’s growth, schooling him, and helping him grow into the player we all know him to be. He won a couple of rings and had a dope career. So, I think this is great timing for where the young Pelicans are too.”
The Pelicans finished 26-56 last season. They’ve missed the playoffs in six of the last eight seasons.
Rondo has a year of experience under his belt, along with a wealth of experience as a player. Now he’s under consideration for one of the league’s head coaching openings.
Khari A. Thompson
Khari Thompson covers professional sports for Boston.com. Before joining the team in 2022, Khari covered college football for The Clarion Ledger in Jackson, Miss.
Sign up for the Today newsletter
Get everything you need to know to start your day, delivered right to your inbox every morning.
