Now that the legendary John Calipari is out as the Kentucky Wildcats’ head coach and headed to the rival Arkansas Razorbacks, a ton of names have popped up as potential replacements.
One name that has not made its rounds just yet is former Kentucky star point guard Rajon Rondo.
Until now.
Proving that he’s about as tone-deaf as it gets, former Wildcats star DeMarcus Cousins endorsed the idea of Rondo taking over for Calipari in Lexington. We wish this was a bad April Fool’s Day joke about a week after the fact. It is not.
“I think the perfect hire for UK at this point would be Rajon Rondo,” Cousins said on 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.”
Uh. This is patently absurd.
It’s true that Rondo played at Kentucky for two seasons from 2004-06. It must also be added that he earned four All-Star appearances and two NBA titles in the Association after being a first-round pick in the 2016 NBA Draft.
You know what else is true about Rondo that disqualifies him for any position of this ilk?
He allegedly threatened a woman with a gun back in 2022 and was just recently arrested for unlawful possession of a firearm and drug possession earlier this year. Rondo was also known for being a major hot-head during his lengthy NBA career with nine different teams from 2006-2021.
Despite this, Cousins doubled down.
“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,” Cousins said. “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.”
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No, Rajon Rondo Will Not Be The Next Kentucky Wildcats Head Coach
In all seriousness, this is going to be a major decision for Kentucky after an ugly first-round exit at the hands of Oakland University in the NCAA Tournament. Calipari noted in announcing that he’s leaving the Wildcats that it was just time for a new leader in Kentucky.
“The last few weeks, we’ve come to realize that this program probably needs to hear another voice. The university as a whole has to have another voice giving guidance on this program. And the fans need to hear another voice,” Calipari wrote on X.
Kentucky is apparently casting a wide net to replace Calipari. It has been linked to UConn’s Dan Hurley and Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan, among others.
Right now, neither Hurley nor Donovan seem to have interest in the opening. Rather, Baylor head coach Scott Drew seems to be the favorite to land this gig.
Just don’t expect athletic director Mitch Barnhart to have Rajon Rondo on speed dial as this process plays out.