Beginning his career at Eastern High School, basketball guard Rajon Rondo’s credentials certainly qualify him as a relatively young, but nonetheless deserving sports legend of the Ville.
Growing up in Louisville, Rondo was surrounded by women; by which I mean three sisters. So, in an attempt to carve out a niche for himself, Rondo became a dominant force with his high school team in his junior year when talk of college scholarships began to circulate about the young athlete.
Moving to Virginia in his senior year, Rondo was a standout player at Oak Hill Academy. He was standout enough to be called a McDonald’s All-American during his senior year.
Immediately out of high school, Rondo signed on to come back to his home state to play his college ball at the University of Kentucky with former coach, Tubby Smith. While he called Rupp Arena home, Rondo was named to the SEC All-Conference Freshman team and went in the Cats’ record books by grabbing the most steals in a season.
It was after his sophomore year in Lexington, though, that Rondo announced that he would enter the NBA draft. While his raw talent was unquestioned in the pros, some worried that he might not be mature enough, or act as the leader that a guard in the NBA must be for a team.
He quickly put those worries to bed when he took the court for the Boston Celtics. In a deal that Celtics officials made with the Phoenix Suns, the Louisville native packed his bags for Massachusetts where he quickly drew comparisons to legendary guard John Stockton.
Playing in two all-star games, including the most recent, Rondo clearly has proven himself a force in today’s NBA, appearing in the NBA championship series where he made a good showing. It might be a little early but I’ll still go ahead and say it makes Rajon Rondo a sports legend of the Ville.
http://www.nba.com/playerfile/rajon_rondo/
http://www.rajonrondo9.com/
http://www.ukathletics.com/athletic-dept/2008-wildcat-champs-rondo.html
http://www.nesn.com/2011/02/rajon-rondo-quietly-shines-in-second-all-star-game-and-six-other-celtics-thoughts.html
Image courtesy of Rajon Rondo 9
