Rajon Rondo, who retired in 2022, was one of the premier point guards in the NBA right through his 16-year career. He was also revered for his basketball IQ and game sense and many had suggested him to pursue coaching and continue contributing to the game. However, while coaching is there on his mind, one thing ranks higher in Rondo’s list of priorities — a college degree, that too before his daughter graduates.
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On The Draymond Green Show, Rondo was asked about an exam that he was going to give soon. The two-time champion revealed that he has returned to the University of Kentucky, where he had played two seasons of college ball before turning pro in 2006. Rajon is pursing a degree in communications.
“I left school sophomore year in Kentucky, decided to go pro obviously, and then my academic advisor been telling me to come back, and I was like I’ll get there when I get the chance,” said Rondo.
“Me retiring, I had a lot of downtime, so I was like while they (my kids) go to school, I could be learning too. You know I want to graduate before my daughter graduates. We’ll probably graduate actually the same time next spring, so I’m looking forward to doing that,” he added.
His hosts, Draymond Green and Baron Davis, were stunned for a second, misled by Rondo’s words and thinking that his daughter was graduating from college as well. Rondo cleared the confusion stating that she was finishing high school. Both his kids, daughter Ryelle and son Rajon Rondo Jr. are in school.
“That’s dope yo,” the hosts congratulated.
Rondo isn’t the only NBA player who went back to college to complete their education. JR Smith and Shaquille O’Neal were very vocal about their desire to finish their education. Both returned to college and their journeys were well documented. Celebrated even.
Shaq earned a degree while playing for the Lakers
O’Neal has many degrees, but the most important one for him was the Bachelor’s in General Studies he got from the Louisiana State University in 2000. He was playing for the LA Lakers at the time. Shaq, who was an LSU student before turning pro, had revealed that graduating was important for him because he’d made promises to his parents, and didn’t want to let them down.
“I promised my parents I’d do it, I promised myself I’d do it,” O’Neal said of earning his degree. “It took eight years, it should have taken six or seven. I had some other engagements.”
Another 2x champion who pursued his degree after retirement was Smith. It was much harder for him to get his Bachelor’s. The former Cleveland Cavaliers player was dyslexic, which made reading a challenge for him.
However, after an abrupt end to his career in 2020, just months after winning his second ring, he decided to get back to college. Smith joined North Carolina A&T to earn a degree in Liberal Arts. He also pursued another sport to help keep focus while in college, and played golf for the university’s team.
