The Basketball Hall of Fame welcomed its newest class this weekend, a star-studded affair that included Carmelo Anthony, Sue Bird, Maya Moore, Sylvia Fowles, Dwight Howard, and others. The festivities from Springfield had barely ended before some pundits tackled the question of who should get in next year.
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Kendrick Perkins went to bat for Rajon Rondo on the most recent episode of the Road Trippin’ podcast, comparing his former teammate to shoo-ins past and present in an attempt to boost his case.
First he compared Rondo to Reggie Miller, which was kind of an odd comparison since they’re such different players. Miller was one of the game’s first true sharpshooters, while Rondo was known for many things, but never his shooting.
“I hate to bring Reggie Miller into this, but I gotta compare resumes,” Perk said. “Reggie Miller, five times, he was an NBA All-Star. Five times, right? Rondo, four times. Reggie Miller, no championships, Rondo got two. Assist leader three times. This matters! If I Google and put their resume side-by-side as far as their accolades, how doesn’t he get in?”
There’s a whole discussion that can be had about ring culture and the toxic way it’s weaponized in arguments like these, but Perk can make a great case for Rondo without reducing things to championships won. Rondo played with Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen when he won a title on the Celtics, and LeBron James and Anthony Davis when he won one with the Lakers.
Miller’s best teammate of all-time is Rik Smits, and though I love the Dunking Dutchman as much as the next guy, it’s not exactly a fair fight when you put him next to Rondo’s Hall-of-Fame supporting cast.
Richard Jefferson didn’t come out against Rondo making the Hall, but he advised Perk to use a better comparison. “I would say we could pick a better person than Reggie Miller to compare him to,” he said. “I know you’re just looking at accolades, relax, I’m agreeing with you that Rondo has a legitimate case.”
Perk must have taken Jefferson’s point the wrong way, because instead of comparing Rondo to someone with a flimsier case, he jumped from Reggie Miller to someone who is an even better shooter, except this player also has four rings, which takes away one of the biggest pieces of Perk’s Rondo argument.
“Is Klay Thompson a future Hall-of-Famer?” he asked. Jefferson immediately shot back with, “First ballot,” as Channing Frye laughed at the absurdity of the question. “We’re not comparing Klay Thompson to Rondo, no offense,” Frye said. “I can’t do that.”
Perk is really over his skis on this one, because not only is Klay seen as probably the second-best shooter of all-time behind his longtime teammate Steph Curry, he’s also one of the NBA’s clutchest playoff performers.
Perk argued that like Rondo, Klay wasn’t the first or even the second option on most of his title-winning teams, but if he’d have watched the games he’d know that the Warriors don’t win most of those rings without his contributions.
Klay saved Golden State from the fire multiple times with clutch scoring explosions. Nobody in basketball history has been as capable of getting scorching hot. Just look at his NBA-record 37 points in a quarter that he scored against the Kings in 2015. Klay was also a high-level defender.
Rondo has a good enough case on his own without Perk pitting him against players with objectively better careers. He led the league in assists three times and steals once. He made four All-Defensive teams, and as Perk said, he won titles with the two most storied franchises in NBA history, the Celtics and Lakers.
Rondo’s game was unique, which is why he’s probably going to be, like 2021 inductee Ben Wallace, the rare player to make the cut despite not averaging at least 10 points per game in his career. Comparing him to some of the greatest shooters ever isn’t the winning argument Perk thinks it is, though. Stick to Rondo’s strengths and he has a compelling case.
