This content is taken from an article by Gautam Varier for Fadeaway World, translated into Italian by Marco Barone for Around the Game.
Rajon Rondo he won two NBA titles in a 16-year career, first in 2008 with the Boston Celtics and then in 2020 with the Los Angeles Lakers in the Bubble. So when Rondo appeared on the latest episode of the Draymond Green Show, he was asked to compare the two titles.
Honestly, there’s no comparison. Because in 2020 we were in a closed bubble, so we didn’t have a parade. I only participated in one save and it was the best thing that happened to me in basketball. Just that kind of love and reaction. You saw it this year, but to be a part of it, to get on the bus and go for a ride, it was incredible. It’s the only opportunity I’ve had to make a parade. But in that particular moment, when I won in 2020, my son was in the bubble with me… and it was even more special.
Rondo’s son Rajon Rondo Jr. was born in 2012 and therefore was not present when his father won his first title. But he made that trip to Walt Disney World, Florida, in 2020, and was with his father during the title celebration.
They were then asked to compare the two titles in terms of the challenges posed by the different circumstances.
I liked the Bubble because every day you saw your opponent. You could see the enemy and there were no distractions. There were no outsiders, there were no flights and hotel stays, we were all in one room, there were no excuses. My five against your best five and we’ll see who’s stronger. I liked the concept of going straight to the room and then watching the movies. In that time we were able to learn a lot more than if we had gone home, trained, had other distractions and not thought about the game, in the Bubble we didn’t think about anything else.
The Bubble was a very different experience than what NBA players were used to, and some liked it, while others didn’t. Rondo falls into the first category, as do most Lakers players. The Lakers lost only five games during their entire playoff run and won the title in style by beating the Miami Heat in six games in the Finals.
