Rondae Hollis-Jefferson made his mark within the PBA as he was a part of TNT Tropang Giga’s first Governors’ Cup title, which they claimed on Friday.
But the journey of the convention’s Best Import right here within the Philippines was, not directly, formed by future and it began with a visit to Boracay.
TNT head coach Jojo Lastimosa stated RHJ was simply having a trip in Boracay when he discovered in regards to the PBA.
“Pumunta rito ‘yan nang di ko alam,” Lastimosa recalled in a post-game convention.
“He flew over here in January and went to Boracay all by himself. [He] went back to Korea and alam niya na may tournament dito and told his agent ‘Hey, I want to go to the Philippines,’ without me knowing and somebody just called me and said ‘Hey, Rondae is here, checked-in in a hotel.”
(“He went here and I didn’t know… He flew over here in January and went to Boracay all by himself. Went back to Korea and he knew there was a tournament here and told his agent, ‘Hey, I want to go to the Philippines’ without me knowing and somebody just called me and said ‘Hey, Rondae is here, checked-in in a hotel.”‘)
Hollis-Jefferson stated he was simply searching for trip locations whereas taking part in in South Korea.
“We had five days off in Korea and I was looking for places to go, and I just so happened to end up in Boracay,” stated the prolific import, who put up 29 factors, 14 rebounds, and 6 assists within the series-clinching Game 6.
“Things weren’t working out in Korea so I talked to my agent and said ‘Is there anything available?’ and that’s when the PBA came about,” Hollis-Jefferson added.
The shock arrival of RHJ gave the crew a dilemma as they’d Jalen Hudson as import again then. However, Lastimosa stated Hollis-Jefferson had one other layer in his talent set, which was his protection. On high of that, he was a stabilizing issue within the crew.
“First day in practice, being an NBA vet, you couldn’t see any arrogance on his part,” stated Lastimosa. “[He has a] calm demeanor, really nice, which actually brought calmness to the team.”
“His demeanor, personality, it just made the team so much better,” stated Lastimosa.
For RHJ, his choice to play within the Philippines bore fruit.
“I flew here before I even had a contract. I just had faith in him (Lastimosa). Everything worked out for the best.”
But will RHJ come again once more to play within the PBA?
“I would love to play here again but I don’t know what the future holds, but i would like to take a shot again in the NBA.”
—JMB, GMA Integrated News
Source: www.gmanetwork.com
