TURNS out Rondae Hollis-Jefferson has an out clause in his TNT contract that allows him to leave the ball club should an NBA team call up and sign him.
Tropang 5G team manager Jojo Lastimosa made the disclosure following their resident import’s recent post on social media asking NBA teams about opening a spot for him once training camp begins.
It’s no secret, though, TNT management has locked up the three-time Best Import to a season-long contract that will have him playing for no other team.
READ: TNT signs Rondae Hollis-Jefferson to 'exclusive' one-year contract
“He (RHJ) knows he has a contract signed already for next year, but he has an out clause if an NBA team will give him a guaranteed contract,” Lastimosa revealed to SPIN.ph.
Hollis-Jefferson recently posted on X (formerly Twitter) about requesting NBA teams for a training camp invite, as he eyes a roster spot for a possible comeback in the grandest basketball league in the world.
“I’m like an SUV, got a lot of travel miles, but for the long haul (long season), you can count on me,” said the 30-year-old product out of University of Arizona. “I also keep good air flow among teams. I also can guard just about anyone.”
A first round pick by Portland in the 2015 draft (No. 23 overall), RHJ played six seasons in the NBA and suited up for the Trail Blazers, as well as Brooklyn and Toronto.
He played longest for the Nets from 2015-2019 and had the best season of his NBA career in 2017-18 when he averaged 13.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.0 steals. His last stint in the league came in 2021 when he donned the Trail Blazers jersey.
Since then, he took his act overseas, playing in Turkey, Puerto Rico, South Korea, and the Philippines, while becoming a naturalized player for the Jordan national team at the same time.
But it was with TNT in the PBA where he found sustained success, steering the franchise to three championships in a two-year span, alongside winning the Best Import award in each of his stints.
NBA dream for three-time PBA Best Import
Yet, there was still that inner desire in him to play again in the NBA.
Lastimosa said Hollis-Jefferson didn’t mention about his plans when he was here in the country doing the 'RHJ On Tour' basketball clinics.
The import left the Philippines last July 21 and will be back by January 2026.
“No, we did not (talk about it). But I can’t control what he posts on social media,” said Lastimosa.
At the same time, the Trppang 5G team manager isn’t too happy with the way RHJ has handled everything.
“I might not agree that he’s asking (NBA) teams to give him a try instead of waiting,” said Lastimosa. “But that’s his prerogative.”
In an interview with Cyro De Asseo of HoopsHype and published on Nets Wire, a property of USA Today Sports Media Group that features everything about the Brooklyn franchise, Hollis-Jefferson admitted thinking about playing in the NBA again.
“I was just sitting there the other day thinking about it. I was thinking about it all. Just where I’m at, how far I’ve come, the growth, the experiences, everything that I’ve been through,” he said.
“I thought I was just sitting there. It was one of those days where your wheels are turning. And I said, man, I should be in the NBA."
Hollis-Jefferson added, “It’s been a long journey, I feel like, given the time I was in the NBA, I think it was very important for me to self-reflect and think about all the things that I could have done differently that kind of shape me into the person I am today.”
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