- Rondo’s arrest video has surfaced and shows the moment he recognized him
- He has since settled on gun and marijuana charges in Indiana
Rajon Rondo’s arrest video has surfaced showing the moment he is recognized by Indiana state troopers as a former NBA player while being arrested on gun and drug charges.
“He’s a former basketball player,” one officer is heard saying to another during the Jan. 28 arrest in Jackson County, Indiana. “He played for a number of NBA teams.”
The same officer later downplays his excitement in the footage first obtained by TMZ: ‘Not that I care, I’m just telling you.’
According to Indiana State Police, the 38-year-old two-time NBA champion is facing firearms, drug paraphernalia and marijuana charges after being pulled over for “reckless travel.”
The 38-year-old reached a settlement with authorities in September, resulting in probation.
Rajon Rondo speaks with officers in southern Indiana on January 28
Rondo had a passenger in his car at the time, but the person has not been identified
Indiana State Police spot Rajon Rondo in handcuffs about an hour’s drive from his native Louisville
He was initially stopped for failing to properly display his driver’s license on his black Tesla sedan, which an officer enthusiastically described as a “nice car.”
When an officer smelled marijuana, a search was initiated that resulted in the discovery of the weapon and drug paraphernalia, Indiana State Police spokesman Sergeant Stephen Wheeles said in a statement.
Rondo was searched and placed in the police car, where he admitted to having marijuana in his car. During police investigation, a gun was also found, which was taken by officers.
The two-time NBA champion is asked at one point if he was an NBA player, with an excited officer responding “wow” as Rondo confirmed his former profession.
The arrest took place in southern Indiana, about an hour’s drive from his native Louisville.
The former Boston Celtics star is not allowed to carry a firearm due to a 2022 restraining order.
Rajon Rondo officially announced on Tuesday that he is retiring from the NBA after sixteen seasons
Rajon Rondo performing with Ashley Bachelor in 2012 when he was with the Boston Celtics
Ashley Bachelor, Rondo’s ex-partner and mother of his children, filed the emergency protective order against him after he allegedly brandished a gun during an argument about their son.
In June 2022, the two sides reached an agreement and a judge denied the petition, but Rondo remained prohibited from possessing a firearm, according to Wheeles.
The Louisville native played three seasons at Kentucky before being drafted in the first round of the 2006 NBA Draft and then played nine seasons for the Celtics. He had become a crucial starter and extraordinary defensive presence in Boston, where he would win an NBA title in 2008.
Rondo eventually bounced from the Dallas Mavericks to the Sacramento Kings, Chicago Bulls, New Orleans Pelicans and Los Angeles Lakers, for whom he would win a second NBA title in 2020. Rondo finished his career with stints in Atlanta, LA and Cleveland.