One of the moves with the highest potential to truly give the Los Angeles Lakers a championship boost for the 2019-20 NBA season was the signing of Avery Bradley, a staunch perimeter defender who hopes to be the best in the league at that.
However, a signing like that wouldn’t have been possible without the signing of Rajon Rondo first.
Bradley and Rondo go all the way back to the former’s rookie season in the NBA when he joined Rondo on the Boston Celtics. The two immediately formed a brother-like bond. And although it would’ve been very possible for the two to drift apart after heading their separate ways, the two have managed to stay close and found the opportunity to team up once again on the 2019-20 Lakers team.
At 2019 Lakers Media Day, Rondo was asked about his relationship with Bradley and what it means for the two to be playing together again.
Rondo responded with a thoughtful answer about Bradley who he sees as a little brother. “That’s like my brother. I got like maybe four or five little brothers on this year’s team. I’ve played with a lot of guys on past teams so that’s why I’m looking forward to it as well,” Rondo said.
“But just to play with him, I got him at a young age, as a rookie, and he was willing to listen from the jump. Anything I asked him to do, he never really questioned it, he just did it. So, being able to reunite with him this year on this particular team and having a chance to do some special things, I’m excited for him. Like I said, he has something to prove but we all have something to prove, not just a guy in his situation. It’s been almost two decades since I won a championship, so I’m looking forward to getting back to the promised land and continue to grow with guys that want to get there as well.”
Bradley was asked a similar question about his relationship with Rondo and returned the favor with some compliments of his own.
“There were some, but ultimately it was going to come down to me, my wife, and my family. But Rondo being here, Rondo has always been like a brother to me,” Bradley said.
“We always said that we can try to play with each other again with our mentality, our dog mentality, we would try to take advantage of that opportunity, and the opportunity was there, it presented itself. So I’m here and I’m happy to be here and to have the opportunity to play with my brother again. Because I think we can both push each other, make each other better people off the court and on the court. So I’m looking forward to it.”
Bradley and Rondo seem ecstatic about the opportunity to play with one another again given the close nature of their relationship.
It also seems like many on the team feel this way about Rondo, which makes him a more important signing than many fans realized.
Rondo convinced several players to make the trip to Los Angeles and be a part of something special and hope that chemistry can lead to a 17th championship.