PLACED IN CUFFS TMZSports.com
Cops certainly knew who they were arresting when they threw the cuffs on Rajon Rondo earlier this year ... as police body cam footage, obtained by TMZ Sports, shows officers discussed his NBA career just after pulling him over.
The stop, as we previously reported, happened back on Jan. 28 in Jackson County, Indiana ... after authorities alleged Rondo's black Tesla didn't have a license plate properly secured to its rear.
The video shows that after initially speaking with Rondo and obtaining his information .