Not so fast: Boston Celtics star Rajon Rondo isn't about to become a Los Angeles Laker. Kobe Bryant and Boston Celtics star Rajon Rondo were spotted having breakfast together, but Bryant insisted it had nothing to do with business.
A photo of the two stars dining together surfaced on Thursday, leading to speculation the two could become teammates - either this season through a trade or next season through free agency. Bryant, though, said the two were only catching up.
"No, we get along extremely well," Bryant said Friday when asked if he was trying to lure Rondo to Los Angeles, via ESPN. "We see the game in a similar fashion in terms of our aggressiveness and mindset. It was good to get together with him. ... We just talked about the game, we talked about the league. We talked about good old memories of playing in the series against each other, stuff like that - different strategies and things they tried to do against us and things we tried to do against them. ... It was a basketball geek conversation."
Bryant hasn't been shy in the past about his respect for Rondo.
"You don't want Rondo? Send him my way," Bryant told ESPN in 2013, when trade rumors about the point guard were abundant. "I love everything about him. Everything. I love his attitude, I love his chippiness, his edge, his intellect, his know-it-allness. All of it. That's what makes championship players.
"What guard have you seen at this size that will get you 18 assists, 17 boards and 20 points all in one game? That's unheard of. I love that kid. I always make a point of talking to him during All-Star (Weekend). He's one of my favorites."
One report indicated the Lakers could try to trade for Rondo this season, but it seems more likely the team will wait until after the season and try to sign him as an unrestricted free agent.
