Rajon Rondo was a crucial piece of the 2008 championship-winning Boston Celtics team. The Kevin Garnett-led squad was infamous for their aggressive playstyle and tenacity on the court. The Celtics’ trademark playstyle was a product of their intense practice sessions, where even one-on-one matchups sometimes got physical.
Advertisement
In a recent appearance on the Run It Back podcast, 6’1″ guard Rajon Rondo spilled the beans on the infamous practice runs during his time with the team. The two-time NBA champion recalled getting into an altercation with his teammate, Kevin Garnett, on one such occasion,
“After practice, we used to play one-on-ones…You really couldn’t call fouls until you were bleeding or someone really f**ked you up. We’re playing one’s [Kevin Garnett and Rajon Rondo], we get into a heated altercation…we kind of charged each other, people got in the middle of it.”
Rajon Rondo shares a story of when he had an altercation with Kevin Garnett, then ends up choking on water…@RajonRondo: “He was telling me to choke, while I was choking” 😭@KevinGarnett5KG pic.twitter.com/jkxfxrqVsG
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) May 28, 2024
After the scuffle, when Rondo was relaxing in the locker room and drinking water, he suddenly began to choke. While other teammates rushed to help their struggling point guard, Garnett did quite the opposite. Taking a jab at his asphyxiating teammate, the power forward hilariously quipped, “Choke motherf**ker, choke, choke.”
Garnett confirmed the story on X. He clarified that the whole incident wasn’t motivated by real animosity, as he wrote,
“That was just a lil competitive blackout. It was all love! That’s my lil bro. Shout out, Doe.”
🤣🤣 That was just a lil competitive blackout. It was all love! That’s my lil bro. Shout out Doe 💪🏾💯🫡 https://t.co/khkDAqRAyO
— Kevin Garnett (@KevinGarnett5KG) May 28, 2024
From the looks, it was nothing more than a bit of friendly competition. The duo have spoken highly of each other on multiple occasions, and despite their differences on the court, the former teammates remain friends to this day. Rondo even credited a lot of his growth in the NBA to Garnett.
Rajon Rondo recalls his learnings from KG
The Kentucky product was drafted with the 21st pick of the 2006 draft, sending him to Boston. Even though Rondo was undoubtedly blessed with great game sense and vision, being around All-stars like Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen surely helped him improve rapidly.
During a sit down with JJ Redick on his show The Old Man and The Three, the four-time All-Defensive team recipient named Garnett as the biggest influence during his initial years in the league. He taught Rondo what it means to be a “true professional”. The guard said,
“KG stands out the most. His approach. His discipline. Every day after practice, he would do the same routine. He was the most disciplined guy. He put his work in every day, he knew what shots he was going to shoot on the floor, and he practiced them every day.”
Even the ‘Big Ticket’ has expressed his deep respect and adoration for his former teammate. When Rondo recently retired, his former teammates Garnett and Pierce gave the former All-Star his flowers on their show, even calling his career worthy of a Hall of Fame selection.
