The Boston Celtics’ championship had a monstrous lineup during their run in 2008. Along with the Big 3 of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen, the team had an electrifying young star in Rajon Rondo. Rondo was a flashy playmaker who was put to perfect use by the then-Celtics head coach Doc Rivers.

Rajon Rondo appreciates Doc Rivers

Though the two have not played together for almost a decade now. Rondo made some exciting revelations about Doc in an interview on the ‘All The Smoke’ podcast.

“In my first year, we lost 18 straight at one point. So I’m like man, what the f**k… Fast forward, the trade happened, I think I heard KG say, he wanted me to stay so boom, we win a championship.”

Rondo believes that winning the championship in the 2008 season was not an easy task. But Doc was there for him and the team during tough times.

“Throughout that year, it was tough, but Doc helped me get through it obviously. I think he played with two Hall of Famer at the time. Just how to navigate and keep those guys happy… I kinda had that leader mentality, leader mindset growing up as far as being a believer, being a student of the game.”

Rondo is still a fantastic player, and he just won the second ring of his career last season. But during his stint with the Celtics, he did some crazy stuff with the ball all-night long. If it weren’t for injury troubles, Rondo might have had more than 2 rings at this point in his career.

How did Doc Rivers turn the Boston Celtics into NBA Champions?

Obviously, the Celtics had a terrific roster, heading into the 2007-08 season. But Rivers made sure the team never got off the track from their goal. Furthermore, managing the egos of multiple All-Star caliber players is an art.

Rivers perfected that art and implemented the “Ubuntu” culture for the team. Ultimately, this strategy worked wonders for the team and they lifted the 17th NBA trophy in their rich franchise history.

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