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By Rowan Fisher-Shotton
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The New Orleans Pelicans endured another disappointing campaign last season, finishing just 26–56 and missing the playoffs for the second straight year.
Things unraveled early, with head coach Willie Green fired after a 2–10 start, prompting James Borrego to step in on an interim basis.
Despite some late stabilization, the Pelicans never recovered, falling out of contention in March and finishing 11th in the Western Conference.
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With Borrego unlikely to retain the role long-term, New Orleans enters a critical offseason searching for a permanent head coach to reset direction and maximize its young core.
Now, a new name has injected serious intrigue into that search.
According to multiple reports, 4-time All-Star and 2-time NBA champion Rajon Rondo has interviewed for the Pelicans’ head coaching job and is officially among the emerging candidates.
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Despite his decorated NBA career, many fans are pushing back on the idea of Rondo as the Pelicans’ next head coach.
"Wish some of these dudes would pay their dues like some older college coaches would before they get NBA jobs 😂 Nuggets coach, for example. It’s 10 coaches more worthy for his job," one user wrote.
"Rondo as a head coach is one of the funniest job interviews of all time. dude got into it with literally every star he played with. Pels gonna be must-see TV on day 3," another added.
"They really are as stupid as a franchise as we all make fun of them for being," another commented.
"Holy desperation," one other fan replied.
"Nba hires anyone now days huh," another wrote.
However, some backed the potential hire, pointing to Rondo’s reputation for having an elite basketball IQ.
"I think he will be hell of a coach, basketball genius," said one user.
"2nd smartest player ever in my opinion behind Bron," another added.
"Nobody deserves it more. Should’ve been the Lakers coach over Redick IMO," another replied.
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Across 16 seasons, Rondo became a two-time NBA champion, four-time All-Star, four-time All-Defensive Team selection, and three-time assists leader. He also led the league in steals in 2010 and earned All-NBA Third Team honors in 2012.
More importantly for this role, Rondo was widely viewed as one of the smartest players of his generation, a true “coach on the floor” capable of dissecting defenses.
He's also been quietly laying the groundwork for a coaching career since retiring in April 2024.
Most recently, he served as a special assistant under Doc Rivers with the Milwaukee Bucks, gaining exposure to the day-to-day responsibilities of coaching, from film study and game planning to player development.
And there’s already a connection to New Orleans.
During the 2017–18 season, Rondo orchestrated one of the league’s most dynamic offenses, highlighted by a 25-assist performance against the Brooklyn Nets on December 27, 2017, and a playoff sweep of the Portland Trail Blazers.
That remains the only time the Pelicans have won a playoff series in New Orleans.
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