Boston Celtics legend Rajon Rondo’s winning mentality fueled the rise of D’Angelo Russell. Growing up, Russell studied Rondo’s game and competitive fire, when he was an integral part of the Boston Celtics’ title-contending teams in the late 2000s and early 2010s. During a recent appearance on The Backyard Podcast, D’Lo opened up about the role of Rajon Rondo in molding his competitive outlook toward the game.
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On the pod, Russell was asked to name a player, apart from Kobe Bryant, who left a deep competitive imprint on him. The 28-year-old selected Rondo as someone who had a big-time competitive nature. D’Lo was heavily influenced by the Celtics star’s tendency to just compete with everybody despite not being an MVP-caliber superstar.
“Rondo, Imma keep talking Rondo because he was one of those guys I would just like watch and he probably didn’t know I was watching. I mean like I seen how he answers sh**,” Russell told The Backyard Podcast crew.
While Rondo won the 2020 championship with LeBron James, he was one of his biggest rivals in the late 2000s to the early 2010s. As a kid, the sharpshooting Lakers guard was watching the Celtics guard go at it against a peak LeBron James in the postseason. He knew Rondo would never back down against anyone, even if it were a force of nature like prime LBJ.
“I seen him compete against LeBron in those playoff match-ups and I seen that bro…He was probably one of the guys, he’s a guy that I learned a lot from that sense, as far as somebody y’all might not know. Like, ultra competitor,” D’Lo added.
Hailing Rondo’s winning mentality, Russell also looked back to the days when he was competing against him during his high school practices. However, this is not the first time Russell has showcased his admiration for Rondo. His exchanges with the retired NBA star go as far back as his school days.
D’Angelo Russell and Rajon Rondo have a special connection
In a 2016 LakersNation article, author Serena Winters explained the connection between the two point guards. This article came in the wake of Lakers rookie D’Angelo Russell clashing against Rajon Rondo and his Sacramento Kings on January 20, 2016. In the article, Winters mentioned that both Russell and Rondo were brought up in the city of Louisville. She also revealed how the veteran point guard had been prepping Russell when the latter was in his freshman year at Central High School, in Louisville, Kentucky.
The two athletes were trained by the same coach, so the exchange of hooping knowledge occurred through the figure who instilled the fundamentals of basketball in both of them. This mutual pipeline meant that as a teenager, during the practises, the lefty sharpshooter wanted to prove his mettle to the 2008 NBA champion. On the eve of the game versus Rondo during his rookie season, Russell spoke about going up against him in his high school days.
“Growing up we had the same high school coach, and he was probably talking his ear off about me (to Rondo), and I haven’t really had the opportunity to prove myself, so every time I go up against him, I just want to prove myself,” disclosed D’Angelo Russell.
During the 20 January 2016 match-up against his rival Kobe Bryant, Rondo dished 17 assists while scoring 11 points and nabbing five rebounds as the Kings defeated the Lakers 112-93. In the 19-point loss, rookie D’Angelo Russell inserted 14 points and 5 assists on 5/15 shooting.
Russell’s hometown hero had proven his mettle again. However, this was just the beginning of a high-scoring career for the lefty guard himself. With the Lakers, Rondo won a championship in 2020, and Russell is also looking to emulate the same achievement.
