Rajon Rondo has become the last member of the 2008 Boston Celtics championship team to call it a career.

The 38-year-old point guard confirmed this week on the “All the Smoke” podcast that he is “absolutely” done with his playing career.

“I’m done. I’d rather spend time with my kids,” Rondo said.

Back in October, Rondo hadn’t yet officially retired, but acknowledged that his playing days were coming to a close. He now appears set to jump into coaching.

“Coaching is in the future,” Rondo said in October. “I wanted to come in here this week and learn from (Celtics Coach) Joe (Mazzulla). Pick up as much knowledge I can from him and the rest of the staff. Just kind of learn.”

The No. 21 overall pick in of the 2006 NBA Draft, Rondo rose to stardom as a young point guard with the 2007-08 Celtics, which had rebuilt themselves around the new Big Three of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen.

In just his second NBA season, Rondo started 77 games for the Celtics, averaging 10.6 points and 5.1 assists that year as Boston took home the title.

Rondo eventually grew into a star himself, making four straight All-Star teams during his time in Boston. Rondo led the NBA in assists three times during his career. A four-time All-Defensive Team selection, Rondo also led the league in steals in 2009-10. His 990 steals and 4,474 assists with the team rank third and fourth, respectively, all time for Celtics players.

Rondo played his first nine NBA seasons in Boston before he was traded to the Dallas Mavericks. The point guard went on to play for the Kings, Bulls, Pelicans, Lakers, Hawks, Clippers, Lakers again and the Cavaliers. His last NBA action came with Cleveland in 2022. The longtime point guard won a second NBA title with the Lakers during the 2020 playoffs in the bubble.

On the podcast, Rondo said he “loved every minute of it.”

“I appreciate the brotherhood that I was able to share and bond and grow with over the years,” Rondo said. “I’ve learned so much in this game and it’s made me the man who I am today, you know?

“I tell people all the time, this wasn’t a dream of mine. It was a goal. I was able to lock in, stay disciplined, … I understood what it took to get there and I was blessed and fortunate to have the right people around me to keep me going when times weren’t as good, to persevere, understood that cream always rises to the top.”

76ERS: Joel Embiid returned to the Philadelphia 76ers lineup on Tuesday night scoring 24 points in his first game in knee weeks following knee surgery, leading Philadelphia to a 109-105 win over Oklahoma City in Philadelphia.

Embiid added seven assists and six rebounds in nearly 30 minutes – but most important, he brought the confidence that the Sixers can salvage their season and make a postseason run with last season’s MVP in the lineup.

Embiid was congratulated by Hall of Famer Allen Iverson after the game.

Chet Holmgren scored 22 points to lead the Thunder, who are in a tight race with Minnesota and Denver for the top spot in the Western Conference.

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