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"Boom, throw the water bottle at the TV. TV explodes" - Rajon Rondo on nearly fighting Doc Rivers
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- "Boom, throw the water bottle at the TV. TV explodes" - Rajon Rondo on nearly fighting Doc Rivers
In the context of his Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame induction, Doc Rivers talked about one of his former players, Rajon Rondo . As he put it , they had a "very tumultuous relationship" during their time together with the Boston Celtics .
"Tumultuous" is just the right word. One story shows exactly why.
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Rondo opened up about it himself when he joined the "All the Smoke" podcast in November 2025.
Rondo relives his TV smashing outburst
Rondo walked listeners through a Celtics film session. By his own estimate, it was around 2009. Somewhere in his third of what would be 16-year NBA career. Though he wasn't entirely sure about that part.
What the four-time All-Star did remember, though, was that he'd done his usual homework. That meant watching the tape the night before.
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His takeaway?
Walking in that day, Rondo felt sure this particular session wouldn't be about him, for once. The prior loss to the Detroit Pistons , as he explained it, had come down to Rip Hamilton torching the Celtics off a floppy action. It was something that had nothing to do with anything he did or didn't do.
However, soon enough, the session was on him again. With Shaquille O'Neal and Jermaine O'Neal seated nearby and Kevin Garnett to his right, the tape kept circling back to his own "mistakes."
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A few possessions in, O'Neal caught his eye and mouthed for him to stay cool. As the two-time NBA champion remembers it, he completely boiled over.
"I jump up, throw the water bottle at the TV. TV explode. Boom, busted. Me and Doc immediately trying to go at it," Rondo recounted .
Rivers often judged him differently
Teammates separated them before it could go any further. After that, Rivers sent Rondo outside to cool off. Shirtless, with temperatures, as he remembers, hovering around 32 degrees, Rondo walked the streets around the arena. After that, he came back in to gather his things.
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What stuck with him afterward? A single phone call.
"The one person that called me that night was Kevin Garnett," Rondo said.
Kevin Garnett had a reputation as one of the best teammates in the association. Maybe that played a part in the player Rondo became. He went on to make four straight All-Star teams in Boston.
Rivers, meanwhile, now says that Rondo is likely the former player he still talks to most.
Interestingly, there might be a deeper reason Rondo went off that day. It might not have had much to do with that particular film session at all. It might have been more about him always being singled out.
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Back in September 2009, Rondo explained something along those lines to Sports Illustrated.
Rivers, he shared, was always a little harder on him than on everyone else because he had once played the point guard position himself. That meant more attention. And, more often than not, more criticism.
It was " difficult at times ," as Rondo remarked.
On a lighter note, the bottle wasn't the only water the three-time assists wasted back then. Rajon has since admitted his gameday routine involved showering a lot. Five times, to be exact.
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This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Aug 17, 2026, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
