News

Rajon Rondo Fires Back At Chris Paul After Lakers Guard Accused Of Spitting On Rockets Star

Los Angeles Lakers guard Rajon Rondo continued to deny that he spit at Houston Rockets guard Chris Paul during Saturday’s brawl. It resulted in suspensions for three players.

Rajon Rondo, Chris Paul Suspended After Brawl

Rondo again said he was wearing a mouthguard, which wouldn’t help his ability to spit on someone. He also said the league catered to Paul’s “good guy” image when deciding the length of the bans.

“This is the only time I’m going to address this,” Rondo told ESPN on Tuesday. “I had a mouthpiece in my mouth and I was exasperated because I was about to tell him to ‘get the f—k out of here.’

“Look at my body language. My hands on my hips. I turn away for a second. Look at Eric [Gordon] and Melo in the video. If they saw me spit, they would have turned their face up or something. They had no reaction.”

Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter!

A week of sports news in your in-box.
We find the sports news you need to know, so you don't have to.

On Tuesday, Paul said he took pride “in staying as poised as possible” during the incident. That resulted in Rondo receiving a three-game suspension for throwing punches and spitting at Paul.

Paul got a two-game suspension for poking at Rondo’s face and also for throwing punches.

30 SPORTS FIGURES WHO DIED IN 2018 – TRIBUTE SLIDESHOW

“That’s tough,” Paul said of being suspended. “Somebody spit on you, you know. Play this long and that has never happened, but it is what it is.”

The Lakers’ Brandon Ingram started the confrontation when he shoved current MVP James Harden and began arguing with the ref. He would be suspended four games.

Paul began serving his suspension Sunday night, missing the Rockets’ loss to the L.A. Clippers. He’ll miss a game against Utah as well.

Rondo and Ingram began serving their suspensions during Monday’s loss to the Spurs. The Lakers then play at Phoenix, a home game against Denver, and at San Antonio.

Bill Piersa

Recent Posts

Sophie Cunningham’s Viral Point At DeWanna Bonner Won’t Show Up On Official WNBA Merch — Here’s Why

Sophie Cunningham's now-famous 22-second stare-down with DeWanna Bonner has spawned one of the WNBA's biggest…

14 hours ago

Syracuse Orange 2026-2027 Season Outlook: Schedule, Odds & Tickets

Syracuse opened the 2025 season 3–1, highlighted by a victory at Clemson. The win marked…

15 hours ago

ESPN Tells Long-Time Analyst Ryan Clark Of His Firing Mid-Broadcast, Amid Staff Layoffs

ESPN is cutting staff across the network for the first time in three years, with…

17 hours ago

Bryson DeChambeau Threatened To Call Trump Amid Penalty Dispute At Open Championship

Bryson DeChambeau's turbulent week at the Open Championship took an unexpected political twist after he…

17 hours ago

FIFA Opens Disciplinary Probe Into Argentina After Ugly Final-Whistle Scuffle At World Cup Final

Soccer's global governing body has launched a formal disciplinary review of Argentina's national team following…

18 hours ago

LIV Golf’s Money Troubles Deepen As Broadcast Vendor Files Suit

LIV Golf's rocky financial year got rockier this week after a broadcast technology partner took…

2 days ago