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With John Calipari on his way to the University of Arkansas, the head coach job for the University of Kentucky men’s basketball team, one of the highest profile positions in the sport, is up for grabs.
And according to former star Kentucky center DeMarcus ‘Boogie’ Cousins, the school should hire former point guard and NBA champion Rajon Rondo as its next head coach.
Rondo played at Kentucky under then-head coach Tubby Smith from 2004 to 2006.
“I think the perfect hire for UK at this point would be Rajon Rondo,” Cousins said on an episode of the Bully Ball podcast. “I honestly think Rajon would be the perfect guy for this situation. Obviously, he’s a Kentucky kid. He played at Kentucky, he’s an alumni.”
“He understands both sides probably better than anybody else ever will. And I think putting Rajon in that position, he’s going to be a great energy moving forward. He’s great at creating the standard, he’s great at leading the ship. I don’t think there’s a better leader to lead Kentucky out of this spot than Rajon Rondo.”
Boogie Cousins has announced who he wants as the next @KentuckyMBB’s basketball coach: @RajonRondo
New episode of Bully Ball with @Rachel__Nichols, @boogiecousins, and @DarthAmin just dropped on the All The Smoke Productions YouTube.
📺: https://t.co/tpnzBN3fh2#bbn pic.twitter.com/QZlTBGkBVm
— All the Smoke Productions (@allthesmokeprod) April 9, 2024
While the 38-year-old Rondo was widely considered to be one of the greatest basketball minds of his era, the former Wildcats point guard has been involved in his fair share of controversies and legal issues over the years, such as allegedly threatening a woman with a gun in 2022 and being arrested for unlawful possession of a firearm in early 2024.
Rondo, drafted by the Boston Celtics with the 21st overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft, spent 16 seasons in the NBA with Boston, Dallas, Sacramento, Chicago, New Orleans, Los Angeles (both the Lakers and Clippers), and Cleveland. He won NBA titles with the Celtics in 2008 and the Lakers in 2020.
The early betting favorite to land the Kentucky job is Scott Drew, the head coach of the University of Baylor Bears since 2003. Other top candidates are Alabama head coach Nate Oats and UK legend Rick Pitino, who is currently over at St. Johns.