MANILA, Philippines – A return to the NBA remains a goal for Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, but as he looks forward to that future, he has also realized that it’s important to cherish the present.
That present involves winning championships in the PBA as Hollis-Jefferson willed TNT to a second straight Governors’ Cup title, with the Tropang Giga finishing off Barangay Ginebra in six games on Friday, November 8.
His stellar two-way play has been praised by Gin Kings head coach Tim Cone and star Justin Brownlee, who have expressed that the TNT ace should still be in the NBA.
As much as Hollis-Jefferson wants an NBA comeback, though, he believes he’s where he’s meant to be.
“It’s still the highest league in the world. It’ll always be in my mind. [But] I feel like at a point in your life, God puts you where you need to be. He puts you where you need to be,” said Hollis-Jefferson.
“I think where we go wrong is we fight that. We fight that so we miss the little things, we miss the moments where we can enjoy and cherish the people that are right in front of you.”
The 23rd overall pick in the 2015 draft, Hollis-Jefferson spent six seasons in the NBA, four with the Brooklyn Nets and one each with the Toronto Raptors and Portland Trail Blazers.
A rotation player who started in half of the 300-plus games he played in the NBA, Hollis-Jefferson found himself out of the league in 2021, with his career taking him overseas.
Hollis-Jefferson saw action in Turkey, Puerto Rico, and South Korea, but it’s in the Philippines where the 29-year-old forward tasted the most success.
Aside from winning a pair of titles with the Tropang Giga, Hollis-Jefferson also captured back-to-back Best Import plums in the Governors’ Cup, becoming just the 11th player in PBA history to win the award multiple times.
Hollis-Jefferson also flaunted his NBA pedigree in the finals as he averaged 25.8 points, 12 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.7 steals, and 1 block in six games.
Capping his superb series run, Hollis-Jefferson delivered 31 points, 16 rebounds, 8 assists, and 2 steals in the title-clinching Game 6, where TNT completed a come-from-behind 95-85 win en route to its 10th franchise title.
“Right now, I’m in the era of appreciating the people that are right in front of me,” said Hollis-Jefferson.
“If the NBA calls, my agent calls and says, ‘Hey, the NBA wants to give you another chance.’ I’m ready. But I’m just going to continue to enjoy the people in front of me.”
Having delivered the Tropang Giga two titles out of the three conferences he reinforced the team, it will not be a surprise if TNT brings back Hollis-Jefferson for the Commissioner’s Cup.
But Hollis-Jefferson said the decision depends on the powers that be, considering the Tropang Giga are afforded the option to go big as the Commissioner’s Cup imposes no height limit for imports.
“It’s up to the bosses,” said Hollis-Jefferson. – Rappler.com