Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James penned a heartfelt goodbye to point guard Rajon Rondo, who is leaving Los Angeles after signing with the Atlanta Hawks.
James and Rondo used to be rivals when The King was on the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat and Rondo was playing on the Boston Celtics. However, the two developed a nice relationship on the Lakers and won the 2020 title over the Heat at Walt Disney World together.
The Lakers defeated the Heat in six games for LeBron James' fourth title and fourth Finals MVP. Rajon Rondo, meanwhile, is now a two-time champion. He has won a championship with two of the most storied franchises in NBA history, the Celtics and Lakers.
Rondo finishes his two-year run with the Lakers with averages of 8.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 6.5 assists in 94 regular-season games. In the 2020 playoffs, the former All-Star guard put up 8.9 points and 6.6 dimes to help LA win the Larry O'Brien trophy.
Los Angeles had a sense that Rondo was going to leave the team in free agency. It's why general manager Rob Pelinka acquired Dennis Schroder from the Oklahoma City Thunder. The scoring guard averaged 18.9 points per game for OKC in 2019-20.
Schroder is expected to fit in very well next to James and Anthony Davis, who will re-sign with the Lakers on a long-term deal soon.