Former Kentucky basketball star Rajon Rondo pleads guilty to gun charge in Indiana

Former University of Kentucky basketball star Rajon Rondo pleaded guilty Tuesday morning to a misdemeanor charge of unlawful carrying of a handgun following his arrest in Indiana earlier this year.

Rondo was sentenced to 180 days in the Jackson County (Indiana) jail, though 178 days of that sentence have been suspended and the other two days have been credited as time served, according to court records.

Two other charges stemming from Rondo’s arrest — possession of marijuana and possession of paraphernalia, both misdemeanors — have been dismissed.

Rondo was arrested on Jan. 28 after a traffic stop in Jackson County and released later that day.

According to Indiana State Police, law enforcement officials received a call reporting a car driving recklessly on Interstate 65 in Bartholomew County. A state trooper conducted a traffic stop after the vehicle entered Jackson County and “observed the odor of marijuana” coming from within the vehicle. During a search of the vehicle, which was driven by Rondo, troopers found suspected marijuana, drug paraphernalia and a firearm in Rondo’s possession.

Rondo was prohibited from possessing the firearm due to having a protection order in place against him, according to the state police. A juvenile in Rondo’s vehicle at the time of the stop was released to a family member.

The former UK star played for the Wildcats during the 2004-05 and 2005-06 seasons before playing 16 seasons in the NBA — most recently with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2022 — and winning NBA titles with the Boston Celtics in 2008 and the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020.

Rondo was a four-time NBA All-Star, a two-time NBA All-Defensive first team selection, and he led the league in assists three times.

An emergency protective order was filed against Rondo in 2022 following a domestic altercation in Louisville. The woman who filed that protective order said Rondo “became enraged” and threatened her life.

Rondo, a Louisville native, started his high school career at Eastern before finishing at Oak Hill Academy (Va.) and joining Kentucky in the 2004 recruiting class.

He was inducted into the UK Athletics Hall of Fame last September.