Kobe Bryant has made it no secret that he plans on attempting to recruit Rajon Rondo at the end of the current campaign and the Dallas Mavericks point guard said he was "honored" that the five-time NBA champion covets him as a potential game-changer for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Rondo had Bryant's full attention on Sunday when the Mavericks defeated the Lakers 100-93 as the 16-time All-Star emerged on the sidelines for the first time since his season-ending shoulder injury on Jan. 21.
Bryant is hoping the Lakers make a run at Rondo when he becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer.
"When he speaks, it speaks volumes," Rondo said, according to ESPN. "It's an honor and a compliment that he'd want to play with a guy like me, but right now, I'm focused on winning a championship with the Dallas Mavericks."
Bryant has missed the last three campaigns due to season-ending ailments, but he expects to return in 2015-16 for what will be his 20th, and likely final, season.
Rondo wouldn't touch on whether or not he wants to play with Bryant as he is focusing on the Maverick's (41-24) playoff picture with Dallas currently sitting in sixth place in the Western Conference.
"I'm focused on what I have to do right now," Rondo said. "It's impossible to play with Kobe right now."
Bryant has expressed a lot of interest in Rondo, and the two clashed in two NBA Finals when Rondo was a member of the Boston Celtics, with each athlete winning one championship apiece in the head-to-head meetings.
Bryant, 36, had breakfast with Rondo when the Lakers and Celtics played in December, but he denied it had anything to do with recruiting him.
"No way," Bryant told the Boston Herald in January. "I'm not done. I'm not stopping until he signs an extension."
After setting a franchise mark for futility in 2013-14 with a 27-55 record, the Lakers appear to be on pace to set the bar even lower as they are 16-46 thus far this season.
Bryant has said in the past that the team is well on its way to turning things around.
The five-time NBA champion hopes that Rondo will be a part of the resurgence for the Lakers.
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