Hoops Habit
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NBA: 6 players on the bubble of Hall of Fame entry

By Luke Duffy

BOSTON - MAY 02: Rajon Rondo #9 of the Boston Celtics tries to keep Derrick Rose #1 of the Chicago Bulls from passing the ball in bounds in Game Seven of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2009 NBA Playoffs at TD Banknorth Garden on May 2, 2009 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Celtics defeated the Bulls 109-99. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
BOSTON - MAY 02: Rajon Rondo #9 of the Boston Celtics tries to keep Derrick Rose #1 of the Chicago Bulls from passing the ball in bounds in Game Seven of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2009 NBA Playoffs at TD Banknorth Garden on May 2, 2009 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Celtics defeated the Bulls 109-99. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
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Naismith Hall of Fame
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3. Rajon Rondo

Are you having fun yet? Rajon Rondo is absolutely a divisive character, and it is unsurprising that many people wouldn’t have him anywhere near this list. His list of pros aren’t as long as anybody else here, but he is an NBA champion having won a ring in his rookie season with the Boston Celtics.

Rondo was a member of what would become known as the “Big 4” from that time, alongside Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen (is Allen going into the Hall one day?). Why his championship is even more impressive than some, however, is because of the manner in which he was able to contribute to winning that title.

Rondo started every playoff game that season, and he was only 20. Imagine being asked as a 20-year-old to be the point guard for a team with title aspirations, and which had huge personalities like Garnett and Pierce. The pressure not to mess up would be huge. Yet Rondo was the steady presence who knew which guy to feed and when en route to the championship.

From there he only got better and was the best player on the court in playoff matches featuring LeBron James. This was a guy who averaged 44 points in a playoff game during some memorable postseason duels with the Miami Heat. He also literally dislocated (broke?) his elbow/arm in a game, only to get it set in a cast and come back out and play on, again against the Heat.

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Like Howard, Rondo slipped badly once he was traded by the Celtics. It did not work out for him with the Dallas Mavericks or Sacramento Kings, and his attitude while with both of those teams was questioned as well. It looked like Rondo was going to wash out of the league, but then the unexpected happened and he turned back the clock.

He was with the Bulls when they went up 2-0 over the Celtics in the 2017 playoffs unexpectedly before his injury derailed any hopes of an upset. Next up was a year with the New Orleans Pelicans, where he helped Anthony Davis sweep the Portland Trail Blazers in what has been the best moment in the career of Davis to date.

Rondo started all nine playoff games for the Pelicans in 2018, shooting 42.1 percent from deep during that run too. Now with the Lakers, winning a title with the two most storied franchises in the league would go a long way to cementing his place in the hall. His four All-Star nods are more than both Gasol and Rose, and he is a three-time assist champion too. Good enough to get in?