Could Rajon Rondo return to his former NBA team as assistant coach?

The Coach Rondo era may soon be upon us.

Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times reports this week that the former NBA All-Star guard Rondo is one of the names being considered for an assistant-coaching role with the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers are in the midst of a complete coaching staff overhaul after firing head coach Darvin Ham this month and letting go of all of Ham’s assistants as well.

Rondo, 38, officially announced his retirement as a player last month after 16 career seasons. He was a four-time All-Star, a four-time All-Defensive Team member, and a two-time champion. One of those championships came in 2020 with the Lakers, whom he played for from 2018-20 and again from 2021-22 (as a teammate of Lakers stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis).

For Rondo, who was recently in the news again for a negative reason, he played the point guard position throughout his career, which is seen as a natural fit for a transition into coaching. 

While the Lakers have been linked to some much more experienced assistant-coaching options, there should be a spot on staff for Rondo if he can make a nice case for himself in interviews.