Rajon Rondo was (re-)introduced as the newest member of the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday, minutes after his signing was formally announced by the team.

The veteran point guard — who played with the Lakers for the two seasons prior to 2020-21 and helped lead the team to the 2020 NBA championship — signed a $2.6 million contract for another go-round in Los Angeles.

In his Zoom press conference, Rondo referenced his evolving leadership qualities, Frank Vogel's poignant conversation with him, the Lakers' age “wisdom” and roster, his close relationship with LeBron James and Anthony Davis, and playing with the likes of Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony, and Trevor Ariza for the first time.

Here's a rundown of Rondo's remarks:

Rondo said his relationships with Vogel, Lakers vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka, LeBron James, and Anthony Davis “played a huge role” in his return.

Rondo was immensely valuable to the Lakers in the bubble — on the court and in the film room. The Lakers repeatedly lamented the loss of his brain throughout last season, a sentiment Vogel personally expressed to Rondo on Tuesday morning.

“Obviously, everybody wants to be wanted,” Rondo said. “Coach Frank — I talked with him early this morning. As far as his expectations from me, I understand that he missed my voice last year in the locker room, which meant a lot. I understand that I do have value here … Frank was a big key, obviously talked to Bron, AD, we keep in touch all the time. Rob's been true to me from Day 1.”

Rondo is impressed by the roster Pelinka has assembled

“This is a special team. It’s a hell of a team as far as competitors,” he said. “I think it's a great roster. I think Rob did a hell of a job, again. Brought in Kent Bazemore, got Ellington as well, a knock-down shooter. A young talent in Monk, along with TBT. So I think we have a great mix of guys, a great group of guys that haven't won that have a chip on their shoulder, have so much to prove, and a lot of balance of guys that have won.”

Rondo said he believes the Lakers “have a great team chemistry,” and that “training camp is going to be big for us; how we start out, how we set the tone early on in the season and come together.”

Lakers training camp begins on Sept. 28.

Rondo believes the Lakers' experience and IQ will fuel their success

Like LeBron and nearly every other veteran the Lakers signed this summer, Rondo believes the Lakers' historically-old roster will be a plus. He's amped to proved the detractors wrong (and to not be the oldest guy on the team anymore.)

“I look forward to again proving people wrong, understanding that age doesn't make a difference … going against all odds and getting it done,” he said.

“I'm most excited about not being the oldest guy on the team anymore. I'm actually probably bottom-5 now, so that's a big step for me — going from, two months ago I was the oldest guy on the team, now I'm considered one of the young guys,” the 35-year old wryly cracked.

“Wisdom is definitely a key to winning a championship,” he noted. “We have a lot of that obviously with the age and experience on the court … I'm looking forward to the naysayers saying about our age being a problem. But honestly, you don't have longevity in this league without having discipline … We have the guys that have had the mileage, but at the same time, there's a reason they're still playing in this league at this level … So I'm not worried about anything, or spectators saying age makes a difference, I think the mind is going to be a big key in why we win this year.”

Rondo's excited to compete alongside some of his long-time foes

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“Carmelo,” Rondo said when asked who he looks forward to playing with. “Obviously, Russ, Trev. I look forward to talking to Trev, learning his mind, his focus … We've had a lot of great battles with a lot of these guys that's now teammates. I'm looking forward to putting everything in the past and putting it together for the greater good of the team and winning a championship here.”

Seemingly. Russ and Rondo — two of the game's most competitive players — will put their lingering beef from the past year behind them.

Rondo hopes to provide day-to-day leadership and learn from others, too. 

“You can't pick and choose when you want to be a leader,” he pointed out. “You gotta show up every day. Guys are watching you, young and old, and you're being critiqued and judged regardless of the outcome of how you feel that morning. you just try to show up and be consistent. no one likes a guy that just talks about it. Dealing with your work, dealing with your discipline and consistency. So, for me it's most important, understanding that I don't know it all, and I'm a willing listener, and I can learn from Malik Monk versus Trevor Ariza. Have an open mindset, not being closed off thinking you know it all, I think is being a big key as well as being a leader, and things I've grown from in my past. ”

Rondo, who was the Lakers' third-best player in the bubble but failed to make the same impact with the Atlanta Hawks and Los Angeles Clippers in 2020-21, believes he can resemble the player from the 2020 title run:

“Like I said, it hasn’t been 10 years. I don’t think I’ve changed much, I don’t think my game has declined. You’re only as good as your coach believes in you and going forward this year, looking at the Lakers team and the roster, understanding where I am in my career, but at the same time, I do believe I can still bring a lot to the game. But my main focus is if we win, nothing else matters.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8A9YF6eKgk

Ultimately, the Lakers' position as championship contenders “absolutely” attracted Rondo

“I think I'm one of the most competitive guys in the league and I love to win,” he said. “Being put in a situation now where we have an opportunity to win a championship — there's only a handful of teams that can say it at the start of training camp, and we're one of them this year.”