The NBA has been using a specific slogan (and hashtag) for the restart of the season in Orlando. No, it doesn’t involve the word “bubble” that has become the unofficial name of the restart even if Lou Williams and Danuel House have tried to ruin the bubble. The NBA instead has “Whole New Game” on all commercials you see during games, and you could usually find it somewhere on the court or around the arena any time a team is playing. It really is a “Whole New Game”, and with players’ families and friends now in the bubble to come attend games, we may start getting some interesting interactions between players and “fans”. That exact thing happened last night during the Lakers’ closeout Game 5 against the Houston Rockets, as a family member of Rajon Rondo was escorted out of the arena by security after yelling at Russell Westbrook. It was first reported by Marc J. Spears of ESPN/The Undefeated.
Lakers guard Rajon Rondo says his brother, William, called Russell Westbrook “trash” and nothing more and gave him the “Damian Lillard” wave when the Rockets star asked what he said. Rondo said his bother didn’t say anything more and he is hopeful there will be no discipline.
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) September 13, 2020
The thought of Russell Westbrook and the Rockets getting cooked while Rajon Rondo’s pesky brother calls them “trash” from the sidelines? I’d be lying if I said I’m not laughing at least a little bit. Westbrook, on the other hand, was not laughing after the game (reported by Mark Medina of USA Today).
Russell Westbrook on his exchange with Rajon Rondo's brother: "People at the game are supposed to shut their mouth and watch the game. That’s the rules." Westbrook added, "Rondo was talking s— so he decided to hop in, too."
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) September 13, 2020
The players are allowed a small amount of family/friends into the bubble starting with the conclusion of the first round. Still, Marc J. Spears of ESPN/The Undefeated also points out that William Rondo (Rondo’s brother) is actually in charge of the barbers, braiders, and manicurists in the bubble that keep the players and coaching staff looking so handsome. Also, if you wanted to see a video of the bubble’s first-ever fan ejection, here it is.
William Rondo waving goodbye to Russ sparked the Rockets star (a sore subject of sorts) as he shouted to have Rajon Rondo’s brother removed. Security escorted him, discussed the situation with him behind the scenes and then he headed for the bus https://t.co/HSCGWPanKd pic.twitter.com/if3ThICBhH
— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) September 13, 2020
It’s doubtful that this would bring any disciplinary action to Rajon Rondo, but I guess we’ll see. This is obviously somewhat unprecedented, although players’ family members have become involved with on-court activities in the past even with the normal amount of fans in attendance. Disciplinary action against William Rondo would be much more likely, but it’ll be interesting to see how he is dealt with since he was obviously hired in some way by the NBA to work on campus.
