TMZSports.com
Authorities were certainly aware of who they were detaining when they placed handcuffs on Rajon Rondo earlier this year … as police body cam footage, acquired by TMZ Sports, reveals officers conversed about his NBA background immediately after stopping him.
The traffic stop, as previously noted, took place on January 28 in Jackson County, Indiana … after officials claimed that Rondo’s black Tesla was missing a properly affixed license plate on its rear end.
The footage illustrates that after the initial conversation with Rondo and collecting his details … the officers returned to their patrol vehicle — and spent some time chatting about the former Celtics star’s basketball career.
“He’s an ex-basketball player,” one of the officers can be heard stating in the recording. “He played for several teams in the NBA.”
It’s worth mentioning … the officer also remarked, “Not that it matters to me, I’m just sharing.”
As the stop continued, one of the officers actually addressed Rondo directly about his NBA past — asking him candidly, “You played in the NBA, didn’t you, buddy?”
When Rondo confirmed that he had and mentioned the duration of his career, the officer replied, “Wow!”
Sadly for Rondo, his notoriety didn’t safeguard him during his encounter with law enforcement … as he was eventually taken into custody by officers after they reported finding a small quantity of marijuana, drug paraphernalia, and a firearm in his vehicle.
The 38-year-old four-time All-Star, who last took to the basketball court in the 2021-22 season, faced three charges stemming from this incident … yet in September, he agreed to a plea bargain with prosecutors to wrap up the matter.
Rondo consented to plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge for unlawfully carrying a handgun … in return, authorities dismissed the other two charges he was facing. He was sentenced to 180 days in custody … however, the sentence was suspended, which means he will serve that time on probation, provided he avoids any additional issues.