Rajon Rondo and Rick Carlisle had a complicated relationship, to say the least, during their time together in Dallas.
Their most infamous interaction came in February, when Rondo, then with the Dallas Mavericks, got into a heated exchanged with his then-head coach. The two exchanged words going into a timeout, and Rondo was benched for the rest of the game. Rondo also was benched during the Mavericks’ playoff series with the Houston Rockets, effectively ending his time with the Mavs.
But that wasn’t the only rocky moment between the two.
ESPN’s Tim MacMahon recently caught up with Rondo as the now Sacramento Kings point guard got set to take on the Mavericks on Monday. One thing that didn’t make the story was this tidbit from MacMahon about the time Rondo parked in Carlisle’s parking spot.
Also as part of the ESPN.com story, Rondo reflected on his time with the Mavs, more specifically his issues with Carlisle.
“Every relationship doesn’t work,” Rondo told MacMahon. “It just didn’t work. No excuses. No pointing the finger at anybody. It made me stronger, made me appreciate just playing the game, especially playing at a high level. I never doubted myself. It just didn’t work.
“Try to keep staying positive, but things just didn’t work out for the best for either side. And that’s just part of it. Every player, every coach doesn’t always see eye to eye. Every team doesn’t fit every person’s style of play.”
H/t to Larry Brown Sports
Thumbnail photo via Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports Images
