When Chris Paul and Rajon Rondo assailed each other’s faces in October 2018, most attention focused on what exactly happened and which of those two famously difficult people was more difficult. But we also heard some peeps that that fight — a main event of sorts following the James Harden vs. Brandon Ingram undercard — was a long time coming.
This episode of BEEF HISTORY examines that long time, and how two of the best point guards of the 2000s became enemies. There are some obvious points of conflict, mostly centered around each having what the other wants: Rondo achieved almost instant team glory by winning a ring in 2008, but never climbed higher than “regular all-star on a great team” status. Paul’s is widely regarded as one of the best point guards of his era, if not ever, but the list of his teams’ playoff failings runs deep. Mixed into that basic conflict are some intriguing mysteries, like Rondo’s career-long absence from Team USA rosters, and some alternate realities, like the very near one in which the Celtics traded Rondo for Paul after the 2011 lockout.
Watch this episode above for some answers (and some questions), and check out more episodes of BEEF HISTORY in our playlist.