Rajon Rondo and Dwyane Wade were teammates at one point. However, just five years before they played together for the Chicago Bulls, there was a lot of bad blood between the two. An incident took place during the 2011 playoffs when Wade, who was with the Miami Heat at the time, broke Rondo’s elbow “on purpose.”

Rondo was with the Boston Celtics when he suffered a severe blow to his left elbow, courtesy of D-Wade. During a recent conversation on View From the Rafters podcast, Rajon Rondo said that he believes Wade did it on purpose. More importantly, the 2x NBA champion unveiled what D-Wade did to bury the hatchet between the two.

Dwyane Wade’s call for peace

“That particular play, like I said, it was kind of a freak accident. We were teammates after that, so it’s no bad blood, but I think he broke it on purpose or tried. He’s a competitor,” Rondo said about the accident. The 37-year-old also recounted that years after the accident when the two were about to team up, Wade called him to make sure that everything was alright between them. He recalled Wade asking “Are we cool? There’s no bad blood?” Rondo said that “it is always about taking the high road,” in such situations.

The two went on to play together for the Bulls in the 2016-17 season. Although nothing great was achieved by the franchise or these two individuals during that time, one positive thing that happened was that they managed to move past the horrifying accident.

Many fans believe that what Wade did was untenable, and he shouldn’t have done that. Rondo, on the other hand, has a slightly different take on it. He said during the conversation, “He was playing, tried to make a play on the ball, and ended up making a play on my elbow.”

Rajon Rondo sat down for an awesome interview with @Marc_DAmico and @SeanGrandePBP on View From the Rafters.

Among other things, he discussed the gruesome elbow industry he suffered in the 2011 playoffs at the hands of Dwayne Wade.

"I think he broke it on purpose. Or tried.”

— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzellNBA) December 27, 2023

Despite the career-threatening injury, Rondo’s commitment to the team didn’t fade away for a minute. He continued to play for the rest of the series even if it meant enduring pain. When asked about it, he said, “For me, it was a mindset. I went back in the locker room, they’re trying to shoot me up, trying to tell me I shouldn’t play. I’m like, ‘I gotta go.”

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Driven by his adrenaline, Rondo represented his team for the remainder of the series. Whenever he was questioned about his injury, his only response was that whatever it was, it could be taken care of after the series. That’s rare to see in the league today.

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