Rajon Rondo is used to having critics, both on and off the basketball court. But now he says he is more motivated than ever to prove those people wrong.
Rondo arrived in Las Vegas on Monday to sign his one-year deal with the Sacramento Kings, and he appears ready to push the negativity surrounding him to the side and start winning again.
“I’ve been basically challenged my whole life,” Rondo told ESPN.com at NBA summer league. “It is what it is. A lot of people didn’t expect me to come this far in the NBA. I have no doubts about what my talents can do. … Life is about handling adversity and I’ve dealt with a little bit of adversity this past season.”
Rondo had a rollercoaster 2014-15 season in which he started out with the Boston Celtics and finished on the bench with what was called a “back injury” during the Dallas Mavericks’ playoff run. Rondo sat out the rest of the Mavericks’ first round series against the Houston Rockets after Mavs coach Rick Carlisle benched him in Game 2 for not giving his “competitive best.” To make matters worse, Rondo was denied his portion of the team’s playoff share.
That meant Rondo, an unrestricted free agent, needed to find a new home. He did so in Sacramento, albeit for far less than the maximum contract he desired.
There is plenty of drama surrounding his new team lately, but Rondo isn’t the source. Instead, the rocky relationship between Kings coach George Karl and star center DeMarcus Cousins is what’s making headlines. That situation was on full display Monday night, when the two exchanged an awkward handshake.
Instead of letting the perceived tension surrounding him and his new team linger, Rondo is addressing it head on.
“I’m excited that everybody’s doubting us,” Rondo said to Pro Basketball Talk’s Kurt Helin. “All the negative things that are going toward Sacramento as far as me coming — and the Cousins and George Karl thing — I think there’s been a lot of naysayers, a lot of doubters my entire career. And I just love to prove people wrong.”
Rondo certainly has plenty of doubters, and it looks like he wants nothing more than to silence them this season.
Thumbnail photo via Jerome Miron/USA TODAY Sports Images
