Top 10 Rajon Rondo WTF Moments
Nobody denies Rajon Rondo’s talent. The Chicago Bulls point guard is a triple-double machine, which is rare for a 6’1″ player.
He’s also one of the game’s most-knowledgeable players, even being described as a second coach on the floor.
Unfortunately, Rondo also has a fiery temper that’s earned him suspensions, and made him look like a headcase at times.
From arguing with coaches to fights, Rondo has caused some real drama in his career.
That said, let’s look at 10 times where Rondo left people scratching their heads and saying WTF.
1. Rondo Plays Ugly Final Game with Mavericks
During the 2014-15 season, the Dallas Mavericks traded for Rondo to help fill their lack of talent at point guard. It seemed like a smart move, but the former Boston Celtics star and head coach Rick Carlisle just never got along.
This came to a head in a first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets, where Rondo played uninspired defense, got a technical foul for pushing the Rockets’ James Harden, and drew a lackadaisical 8-second violation.
You can see his final game below, which sealed Rondo’s fate in Dallas.
2. Rondo and Carlisle Get into Screaming Match
An early indication that things weren’t going to work between Carlisle and Rondo happened in February 2015 – just two months after the trade.
The two got into a heated shouting match during a game against the Toronto Raptors. Rondo drew a one-game suspension for “contract detrimental to the team” after this.
3. On-Court Spat with Bulls Assistant Jim Boylen
The problems with coaches continued for Rondo, as he got into a sideline argument with Chicago Bulls assistant Jim Boylen.
Rondo was suspended one game for the incident, but he did apologize to the coaching staff and team afterward.
4. Calls Referee Bill Kennedy a Faggot
While playing for the Sacramento Kings, Rondo got ejected from the game by referee Bill Kennedy. His response was to call Kennedy a faggot.
It turns out Kennedy is gay, and he came out a week after the incident. Rondo was suspended one game without pay by the NBA.
5. Drops F-Bomb During Post-Game Interview
2015 was a rough season for Rondo since he was on a Kings team that went 29-53 and had lots of drama with coach George Karl.
This is why Rondo was so relieved to get a victory that he said “motherfucking” during a televised post-game interview.
6. Bumps Official and Gets Tossed
Proving that no coach or ref is safe when he’s on the floor, Rondo bumped an official with his chest during a 2012 playoff game against the Atlanta Hawks.
The matter started when Rondo drew a technical for yelling at the ref about a missed foul call. He took matters further by bumping the official, which earned Rondo an ejection.
7. Fights Kris Humphries
2012 was an eventful year for Rondo because he got into an altercation with the Brooklyn Nets’ Kris Humphries. The latter delivered a hard foul to Kevin Garnett, and Rondo started tussling with Humphries.
Rondo was ejected from the game along with teammate Gerald Wallace and Humphries.
8. Hounding Harden
If you watch the entire video in point #1, you can see Rondo getting in Harden’s business throughout the game.
This was odd considering that he gave lackluster efforts on defense at some points, only to get overly physical with Harden on other occasions.
9. Rondo vs. Dwayne Wade
To be fair, this seems like a two-sided affair between a couple of fierce competitors. Nevertheless, some of the plays we’ve seen from Rondo and Wade over the years are worth noting.
In one particular game, Rondo gave Wade a hard foul when the latter was driving. He said in the post-game interview that he just didn’t want to give up a layup, but added, “All the dirty plays that you seen him (Wade) make in the past, so that’s what it is.”
Luckily, the two have buried the hatchet as teammates in Chicago.
10. Rondo’s Excessive Boxout on Kirk Heinrich
Kirk Hinrich has never been known as a brawler in his career, but he was ready to throw down against Rondo after the latter did an excessive boxout.
Refs and teammates separated them after a short scuffle, which was caused by Rondo grabbing Hinrich’s arm and pulling him halfways across the court.