Rajon Rondo Opens Up On What Impressed Him The Most About LeBron James

Rajon Rondo appeared on the latest episode of The Draymond Green Show with Baron Davis, where he spoke about his former Los Angeles Lakers teammate LeBron James. When asked what impressed him the most about James, Rondo had an interesting response.

“I never seen nobody take care of their body like him,” Rondo said. “Rest and diet… All the things he does, I mean the way he lifts, the way he goes at the weight room, he attacks the weight room, the way he attacks his on-the-court, off-the-court workouts.

“He’s professional and again if you spend that much money on your body and when no one’s looking or no one’s watching you still doing the right thing, you’re able to stay and have a career like he’s having,” Rondo continued. “… He’s arguably the greatest player of all time.

“For me, I just seen it everyday on his regimen,” Rondo added. “He was very disciplined and he goes over and beyond what the average or even what some of the great NBA players have done that I’ve seen… These young guys coming in, more athletic, more explosive and he’s still able to manipulate the game, get to his spots and I feel he’s outsmarting everybody.”

It is incredible that a 39-year-old James in his 22nd season is still able to dominate on the court the way he has. The 20-time All-Star is averaging 24.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, 9.3 assists, 0.6 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game for the Lakers in 2024-25. He has been very efficient too, shooting 51.8% from the field and 43.0% from beyond the arc.

James is able to still perform at this level thanks to all the work he has put in behind the scenes over the years. As Rondo revealed, he goes above and beyond when it comes to taking care of his body, and it’s been rumored he spends around $1.5 million a year to ensure he remains in top shape. That’s a heavy price, but it’s certainly worth it for him.

James will next look to dominate when the 10-5 Lakers take on the 8-6 Denver Nuggets at Crypto.com Arena tonight at 10:30 PM ET. The Nuggets have given him and his team plenty of problems over the last 18 months or so and it’ll be interesting to see if they can flip the script.

LeBron James Called Rajon Rondo One Of The Best Players He Ever Played With

James and Rondo were teammates for a season and a half on the Lakers, and the former thoroughly enjoyed the experience. After Rondo announced his retirement in 2024, LeBron hailed him as one of the best players he had ever played with.

“One of the best players I ever played with. His IQ is out of this world. I was very lucky to get to team up with him when I was in LA. Being in LA, him coming to the Lakers, I was ecstatic about that and I knew what we’d accomplish together. ‘Do always talked about if he ever teamed up with me, he knew we could win a championship. And we did that.”

“He was a fierce competitor throughout my career when he was in Boston. You know the battles we had when I was in Cleveland and then going to Miami. He got everything out of his career and more. Two-time champion, multiple All-Stars, and for a couple of years, he led the league in assists or was up there. Spectacular player.”

Rondo was indeed a special player. His and James’ high basketball IQs made them quite a duo and they won a title together in 2020. I’m sure LeBron would love to have him around the Lakers right now, but he is currently a guest coach for the Milwaukee Bucks.