page_title: Rajon Rondo
section_title: 2007–08 season
hierarchical_section_title: Rajon Rondo / Professional career / Boston Celtics (2006–2014) / 2007–08 season
caption_attribution_description: English: User:Chrisjnelson agreed to license this image of en:Rajon_Rondo.jpg under a free attribution license.
context_page_description: Rajon Pierre Rondo is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association. Rondo played two years of college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats before he was drafted 21st overall by the Phoenix Suns in the 2006 NBA draft. He was subsequently traded to the Celtics, where he played a supporting role during his rookie season. Rondo, a four-time NBA All-Star, had led the league in assists per game three times. He was named to the All-NBA Third Team in 2011–12 and has earned four NBA All-Defensive Team honors, twice on the First Team. During his time in Boston, Rondo helped the Celtics advance to the NBA Finals in 2008 and 2010, winning a championship in 2008 as the team's starting point guard. Rondo has long been known as an elite facilitator in the NBA, ranking fourth in Celtics history in assists and third in steals. He is also considered a stat-sheet stuffer, ranking 11th in NBA history for triple-doubles with 32 in the regular season, to go with 10 in the playoffs.
  After 8½ seasons with the Celtics, Rondo was traded to the Dallas Mavericks in December 2014.
context_section_description: After Telfair and West were traded during the offseason of the 2007–08 season, Rondo secured a spot in the starting lineup, starting in every game. Surrounded by All-Stars Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, he quickly became a steady, consistent player. In his 77 games played, he averaged 10.6 points per game (ppg), 5.1 assists per game (apg) and 4.2 rebounds per game (rpg). His role as a playmaker reflected in him leading the team in assists and steals. In a game against the New Jersey Nets, Rondo suffered a lower back injury late in the third quarter, forcing him to miss the next four games. He made his successful return from injury and to the starting lineup in a road win against the New York Knicks. A week later, he matched his career-high against the Miami Heat, and then scored a career-high 24 points in a home game against the Los Angeles Clippers the following month. During the All-Star break, he was selected to play on the Sophomore Team in the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge and Youth Jam. Following the All-Star weekend, Rondo recorded a career-high 16 assists in a home victory against the Charlotte Bobcats. Despite his solid rookie year, there was much speculation about Boston needing a veteran point guard. In March, they signed veteran point guard Sam Cassell as a free agent to serve as a backup. The Celtics' best single-season improvement in NBA history earned them the number one seed in the Eastern Conference Playoffs.
  Following the regular season, Rondo finished in the top five for the NBA Most Improved Player voting. Rondo made his playoff debut on April 20, 2008 against the Atlanta Hawks and finished the game with 15 points, 9 assists and 2 steals. The Celtics closed out the series in seven games, went on to defeat Cleveland in the next round, and then beat the Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals. In the NBA Finals, facing the Los Angeles Lakers, Rondo recorded two strong performances, including a career-high 16 assists in Game 2. In Game 3, however, Rondo left the court in the third quarter after rolling his ankle. The ankle injury was considered a "non-factor," and Rondo eventually made his return in Game 4. In Game 6, the point guard posted a playoffs career-high 6 steals as the Celtics defeated the Lakers 4–2, giving Rondo his first NBA championship ring. After the game Lakers head coach Phil Jackson called Rondo the "star" of Game 6.
caption: Rondo in May 2008
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