NBA FINALS: LAKERS VS. HEAT

September 29, 2020

Rajon Rondo

Los Angeles Lakers

Practice Day

Q. Rajon, what's stood out to you about the way that you've been able to lead the second unit and then also lead the play when LeBron is on the court with you in the playoffs compared to the regular season? What differences have you noticed in how that's been impacting the game and the team?

RAJON RONDO: Me personally, I was trying to take care of the ball, as the second unit leader on the floor, extension of the coach out there, and give my guys shots where they need the ball and being efficient on both ends of the floor.

Q. It's been a decade for you since you've been in the Finals, and I'm wondering what maybe you appreciate about reaching this level with your team that maybe you didn't when you were a younger guy?

RAJON RONDO: Well, when I was a lot younger I had a lot of success. I won at 21 years old, and now being 34, it's a completely different experience, and understanding that this doesn't come often or annually. Being back here over a decade later is a very humbling experience, and I'm letting my young guys know from all the rookies to the second or third-year players like Kuz, that this opportunity doesn't come often. Guys search for this moment their entire career, and we definitely have to seize the moment.

Q. It seems like this stretch through the last two rounds of the playoffs has been your best individual stretch since coming to the Lakers, and obviously the team has echoed that. Why do you think it's coming now? Obviously you played two years with the team. What about this moment is allowing you to mesh so well with the team on the court?

RAJON RONDO: Each series is different. Obviously, the regular season and playoffs are two different types of games. Each level you have to raise your level of play. But for me, I didn't know what to expect coming back, I haven't played ball in seven months, six, seven months. A couple injuries when I did come back, so I didn't know what to expect as far as my output and what I would do as far as producing on the court.

But I've had a lot of belief in my work and my craft and what I've put in the last couple months. Coach Vogel has instilled a lot of confidence in me coming back, obviously, saying that I play a very important role on this team, along with Rob Pelinka, as well. Those guys from the top believed in me from day one, and I just didn't want to let my teammates down. I didn't want to let myself down. I'm a very competitive person, and feeling like I do have an impact on this team, helping this team win.

Q. Rajon, this experience of living with your teammates, having these dinners, I guess, every night, living on the same floor, how has that challenged you and how has that sort of made this run so unique compared to other runs you've been on in the playoffs before?

RAJON RONDO: It's very unique, even more so now, because we spend a lot more time with teammates than even your family. Obviously in the past it was the same a little but you get a perspective from going home, as well. Being with guys every day, eating breakfast, lunch and dinner has been fun. Obviously, we had a break, as well, a couple months off due to COVID, but we got back in the bubble.

Me, unfortunately, I kind of went home three days afterwards, so me coming back into the bubble made me more appreciative of the time being with my teammates, understanding that camaraderie is big in this type of game that we play. So, developing chemistry early on, it kind of became natural. Guys aren't forced to be around each other, we just kind of naturally gravitate toward each other. We have started a Madden Football challenge game, and everything we do has pretty much been together. There's different age groups from where our team stands, but for the most part we pretty much all have the same common goals. We're here for one reason. And off the court, what better way to bond than over food and watching games.

Q. Obviously the Lakers' first appearance in the Finals in 10 years. You played in that series. What are your reflections on that series? Did you kind of have bad memories when everybody was talking about the first time back in 10 years, and you're thinking you were on the other side of that? What's your reflections from that 2010 series?

RAJON RONDO: I think I blurred a lot of it out. It was ugly. We were up 3-2 and obviously we didn't get the job done. We were up in the fourth quarter, that stands out to me, as well. But Kobe played well. He didn't have a great offensive scoring night, but he did a lot of intangibles. He had I think 18 rebounds. Pau Gasol played well. [Andrew] Bynum played well, key role players hit bit shots, [Derek] Fisher, Ron Artest. It was a collective team effort. But that's a long, long time ago, and I look forward to obviously changing the chapter and continuing to go past this different chapter in my life and write a better story ending.

Q. I was wondering how -- what the challenge has been like over the last few months for you and keeping in touch with people back in Louisville, and kind of staying connected with everything that's been going on with the Breonna Taylor case.

RAJON RONDO: Well, I don't want to say too much early, because there's so much different speculation coming out on different stories on what happened. I speak closely every day with the ladies from my foundation, Yvette Gentry. She's now the police chief. We talk, like I said, about life in general, how the climate is in Louisville, not necessarily about what her job and her role is. The young men in our community, we've tried to do it the last four or five years through my foundation, giving back to the youth, someone to hold them accountable, someone that shows them that they care and just making a change with our youth. Obviously we know how important it is this year as far as voting and getting the message out there to the people in my community that their vote does matter, and how we can make a difference and make a change in my city.

For me, it was tough to actually come to the bubble, knowing so much is going on where I'm from and me feeling like I have one of the biggest impacts in my city. I take a lot of pride in trying to figure out how I can make change, understanding what I have to do as far as you go from protesting, but without the protesting you have to get to the boardrooms and make change, and understanding who we need to vote for and who we can support as a community.

Q. Just want to get your thoughts on the matchup versus Miami; what are some of the challenges that you're expecting in this matchup against the Heat? And also how much is Game 1 just a feeling-out process, and is that just based on your experience where so many adjustments come from there?

RAJON RONDO: Well, adjustments are made right now. Obviously going from a Denver Nuggets team, who played us a little bit different than Miami, obviously, but I think each team that we've played in this playoffs has prepared us to this point. The Heat definitely pose a great challenge. They're well-coached, play one of my favorite teammates Jimmy Butler. Going against him will be fun. A lot of respect for all those other guys, Bam, Herro, Dragic who's also playing at a high level, All-Star-level guard.

It's going to be a great matchup. I'm looking forward to the changes and adjustments we need to make through each game, and going head to head with these guys for one common goal, so it should be a great one.