While making an appearance on the “All the Smoke” podcast, Matt Barnes asked Rajon Rondo if his time in the NBA is up.
Rajon Rondo confirmed to Barnes and the world that he is officially retiring from the league after 16 seasons. He hasn’t played since the 2021-22 season for the Los Angeles Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers. The two-time champ is 38-years-old.
“Absolutely,” said Rondo. “Yeah, I’m done. I can’t. I’d rather spend time with my kids.”
“What a time, it was definitely something that I never took for granted when I was in the game,” Rondo said. “I loved every minute of it, and I appreciate the brotherhood that I was able to share and bond and grow with over the years. I’ve learned so much in this game and it’s made me the man who I am today. … I tell people all the time, this wasn’t a dream of mine, it was a goal. I was able to lock in, stay disciplined, I didn’t party a lot in college. But it was worth the sacrifice of me getting to where I wanted to be in life.”
The NBA has announced that Damian Lillard will be competing in this year’s NBA All-Star’s 3-Point Contest. Despite not playing a game this season due to Achilles rehab, Lillard has been chosen for this Saturday event.
The 35-year-old is a two-time champion who will be joining the likes of Kon Knueppel, Jamal Murray, Tyrese Maxey, Bobby Portis Jr., Devin Booker, Donovan Mitchell, and Norman Powell.
The contest is set to kick off Saturday’s festivities, followed by the Shooting Stars competition and then the dunk contest.
According to the NBA, Alperen Sengun is set to replace Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for the upcoming All-Star weekend. Sengun will officially be a two-time All-Star.
The reason why Sengun is replacing Gilgeous-Alexander for Team World is due to the reigning MVP rehabbing from an abdominal strain and set to be out through the break.
This season, Sengun is averaging 20.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per game.
According to the Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers, franchise superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo is “getting close” from his calf injury. Plus, with him getting close, they have no intentions of shutting him down for the remainder of the season.
“He’s going to play when he’s healthy,” Rivers said on Friday. “We just got to make sure he’s healthy. He’s getting close. He’s working out. He looks good. So I would say hopefully sooner than later.”
While Rivers did not provide a timetable for Antetokounmpo’s return, the 31-year-old did complete an on-court workout on Friday.
Milwaukee is 21-29 on the season, 6-14 without Giannis, and are currently twelfth place in the Eastern Conference. There are 32 games left before the postseason begins.
