Rajon Rondo: Dwyane Wade Purposely Tried to Injure Me in 2011 Celtics, Heat Series

Former NBA stars Rajon Rondo and Dwyane Wade had a brief stint as teammates with the Chicago Bulls, but they were once fierce rivals during their respective tenures with the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat.

Rondo explained on the View From the Rafters podcast that the rivalry was so heated that he believes the elbow injury he suffered during the 2011 Eastern Conference semifinals was purposefully caused by Wade.

"That particular play, like I said, it was kind of a freak accident. We were teammates after that, so it's no bad blood, but I think he broke it on purpose, or tried," Rondo said. "He's a competitor."

Rondo went on to clarify that he respects Wade as a competitor, so he doesn't necessarily think it was a dirty play.

"I don't think it was targeting me in the locker room or talks to take me out or anything like that," he said. "He was playing, tried to make a play on the ball and ended up making a play on my elbow."

Despite the severity of the elbow injury, the four-time All-Star continued playing in the series. Rondo said playing through pain was something he had grown accustomed to throughout his career.

"Adrenaline, just like every other injury," he said when asked how he continued playing. "For me, it was a mindset. I went back in the locker room, they're trying to shoot me up, trying to tell me I shouldn't play. I'm like, 'I gotta go. I'll be back later, we can figure this out a couple weeks from now.'"