Matured Rondo grows in stature
Boston point guard had a tough rookie year but is now a key player in the Celtics' line-up
Rajon Rondo might be sitting with his head high in the clouds, in a hotel room offering breath-taking views of Hong Kong at night, but in his six years as a professional basketballer he has learned to keep his feet firmly on the ground.
A stand-out at the University of Kentucky, Rondo was selected by Boston in the 21st round of the NBA draft in 2006 and joined a Celtics squad at one of the lowest points in the storied franchise's history. The glory days of Larry Bird must have seemed far, far away that year as Boston struggled to a 24-58 record, and Rondo - the star of the show for so much of his life - found himself relegated to a bit part role as the team's third point guard as they failed to make the play-offs.
Welcome to the big leagues, kid. "It seemed we lost almost every game," Rondo recalls. "It was a tough year for me as a rookie. You want to come in and play as much as you can but I was the third-string point guard. I just had to grow up quickly. Things weren't going my way, or the way things had gone for me in college, so I had to mature as a player, listen to the coach and then the veteran players as they came in.
"So I have grown each year. The second year we won the championship, and each year from there my role has gotten bigger."
The 26-year-old has developed into one of the premier point guards in the NBA, known for his cool temperament on the court and his engaging honesty off it. For his trip through Hong Kong this week - as official ambassador for the Red Bull King of the Rock finals, held in Kennedy Town yesterday - Rondo was joined by his mother and brother and he says close family bonds have helped him deal with the attention and trappings that surround an NBA player. Two young kids back home in Boston have also helped, he says, as he has matured as a player and as a man.
Rondo helped take Boston to within a breath of this past NBA Finals, as they pushed eventual champions Miami and LeBron James to seven games in their conference final. And this off-season has seen Boston go back to the drawing board as they plot Miami's downfall in 2012-13.