Two-time NBA champion Rajon Rondo believes Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade tried to hurt him on purpose in Game 3 of the 2011 Eastern Conference semifinals between the Heat and Boston Celtics.
Rondo dislocated his non-shooting elbow in the third quarter of that game after Wade pulled him down to the floor.
Rondo stayed in the game after the injury. He finished with six points, three rebounds and 11 assists in 35 minutes, helping the Celtics beat the Heat by a final score of 97-81. However, Miami won the series, 4-1, to advance to the 2011 Eastern Conference finals.
Rondo and Wade had a fierce rivalry when Rondo was on the Celtics and Wade was on the Heat. The two NBA legends reportedly patched things up in 2016-17 when they were teammates on the Chicago Bulls.
It was strange to see Rondo and Wade as teammates since they had many scuffles during their primes on the Celtics and Heat, but they were only teammates for one season.
Rondo finished his career with averages of 9.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 7.9 assists, 1.6 steals and 0.1 blocks with the Celtics, Dallas Mavericks, Sacramento Kings, Bulls, Pelicans, Los Angeles Lakers, Atlanta Hawks, Los Angeles Clippers and Cavaliers. He made four All-Star teams, one All-NBA team and four All-Defensive teams.
Rondo also won one steals title and three assists titles.
Wade, meanwhile, is widely regarded as the third-best shooting guard in NBA history behind Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. The Hall of Famer finished his legendary career with averages of 22.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.8 blocks with the Heat, Bulls and Cavaliers. Wade made 13 All-Star teams, eight All-NBA teams and three All-Defensive teams.
The three-time champion also won one Finals MVP, one scoring title and one All-Star Game MVP.
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