Rajon Rondo Skipped Game on His Birthday After Celtics Told Him Not To

Rajon Rondo recently chose a birthday celebration in LA over watching a crummy Celtics game in Sacramento. The ever-stubborn and defiant point guard simply ignored his employers’ recommendation that he not skip the game. Per WEEI:

“He let Brad [Stevens] know and he let me know that he was going to stay in L.A. an extra day, and we didn’t think that he should,” Ainge told Boston’s CBS Sports radio station. “But it was his choice and [we told him] there may be consequences if you stay. It was that simple.”

Added Ainge: “In the end, him and I had a long talk about it. He planned it before and he had reason to believe it would be OK. I understand his reason because of what he’s grown up with and what he’s witnessed. You won’t see it happen again, and we’ve just moved on from it.

“I think that now Rondo understands more clearly what we want out of him as a captain. That we want him on the road with the team, and his leadership on the bench is important whether he plays or doesn’t.”

Ainge insisted he had “nothing major to hide” regarding the controversy, and that it’s something that’s been ironed out.

“I talked with Rondo about why he did what he did,” Ainge said “I didn’t agree with it, but we had a good talk and we’re over it.”

“He is definitely our captain whether anyone gave him the title or not. That’s his personality,” Ainge said. “He didn’t have the title the last five or six years, but he was still a captain. He was a coach on the floor and one of three or four captains with Paul [Pierce], Ray [Allen] and [Kevin Garnett]. They all act differently, and they all make mistakes by the way in their leadership roles, but I look at every guy on the team as a leader. You’re either leading guys to do better, or leading guys to do worse. I have no issues whatsoever with Rondo being our captain. He’s been acting like our captain for three or four years.”

“Rondo is an emotional, stubborn kid. He’s very bright, and I don’t mind these kinds of emotions,” Ainge said. “What I care about is he a guy I want to play with, play for, if the guys on the team back him and want him on their side night in and night out. Those are the really important issues. Rondo is never going to become Tom Brady and say all the politically correct things and do everything we want him to do, but we still love him in spite of that because his teammates back him and want him on their side. They will go to war with Rondo, anytime.”