In the off-season before they won the championship, the Boston Celtics invited their 2008 championship team member, Rajon Rondo, to inspire their roster. Clearly, it worked. A year later, Rondo is lending a hand in the Eastern Conference again – this time, with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Doc Rivers, who coached Rondo and the Celtics during their 2008 championship season, has been the head honcho in Milwaukee since January of this year. He wanted his former point guard at the Bucks’ training camp and decided to invite him at the first chance he got. It seems that chance came in Italy when Rajon Rondo was tying the knot with fashion designer LaToia Fitzgerald.
On June 8th, former teammates of Rondo’s including James Harden, Kyle Kuzma and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, were in Lake Como, Italy, to celebrate the happy couple. Doc Rivers was among the attendees too, but he might have flown in with a personal agenda.
There, at the scenic wedding, Rivers was talking basketball with the groom. He reportedly told Rondo, “Get your ass to camp.”
Doc Rivers was recruiting his ass if this off season pic.twitter.com/CFrIf6Z35M
— Bucks Breakdown (@Bucks_Breakdown) October 3, 2024
Since taking over from Adrian Griffin in January, Rivers has faced an uphill battle with the Milwaukee Bucks. His job is to create a sustainable system around Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard while competing for the NBA championship as soon as possible. Doc clearly sees value in having someone of Rondo’s intelligence by his side as he prepares for an important campaign.
“He’s the smartest player I’ve ever coached — and not just smart. He knows when to and when not to say stuff. He’s a great team builder. It’s just fun, and it’s great to have him around,” Rivers explained.
Players and coaches alike have lauded the former point guard for his basketball IQ, and it might be a matter of time before Rondo is setting up his own team.
Rondo has coaching aspirations of his own
After retiring in April, 2024, Rajon made it clear that he does view coaching as a possibility for him. It seems that working with Doc is helping him get a lay of the land.
“You just can’t say, I’m going to be a coach, and then everything works out and that’s how it happens…I’m learning what it looks like,” Rajon Rondo said about joining the Bucks’ camp.
The two-time NBA champion joined Milwaukee in October and currently holds the title of a guest coach. But Rivers expects to keep him around once the season kicks off. “You’ll see him a lot. That’s all I’ll say,” the Bucks’ head coach stated.
Even as a player, the four-time All-Star served as an extension of the coach on the court. He was a vocal leader who could call out plays as they happened, keeping his teammates engaged and focused on their goals. Now on the coach’s table, Rondo can continue that legacy and help the Bucks contend for the 2024-25 NBA championship.
