RONDAE Hollis-Jefferson is tough on himself when it comes to hard defeats.
To this day, the TNT import said he hasn’t gotten over the loss he suffered as a member of the Jordan national team in the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou when he settled for a silver medal against Justin Brownlee and Gilas Pilipinas.
“I’m still not over that loss – Gilas versus Jordan,” said Hollis-Jefferson during the PBA finals press conference where he will square off against Brownlee once again for the Governors’ Cup championship.
READ: RHJ heaps praise on RJ: 'He's like the Asian Steph Curry'
In the Asiad, Hollis-Jefferson was playing for Jordan as its naturalized player when it beat Gilas Pilipinas, coached by current Ginebra coach Tim Cone, via a score of 87-62, enabling his team to emerge unbeaten after three games in pool play. RHJ’s team steamrolled through the knockout stage with victories over Saudi Arabia and Chinese Taipei, both with winning margins of 19 points.
In the end, Jordan fell short to Gilas Pilipinas, which entered the gold medal match with a lot of momentum after its 77-76 win over host China. The Philippines secured its first Asiad gold in men’s basketball in 61 years, defeating Jordan, 70-60, even with Hollis-Jefferson collecting a game-high 24 points.
When asked about not letting go of difficult losses, Hollis-Jefferson said he has been that way even since high school, part of his competitive nature as a basketball player. That mindset has helped him in finding ways to improve on his game, never letting himself satisfied with what he has in a career highlighted by six years in the NBA.
“I still hold on to my senior high school loss. My last game of my career, I lost to Lower Marion, Kobe’s (Bryant) high school. And I still hold on to that ‘till this day,” said Hollis-Jefferson as he talked about his loss when he was still with Chester High School for the state championship in Pennsylvania in 2013.
“I hold on to my Elite Eight losses to Frank Kaminsky,” said ‘RHJ,’ referring to a pair of defeats in the NCAA Tournament where Arizona lost to Wisconsin in 2014 and 2015.
“Those things come and motivate me to take it a step higher, working harder, and just not run out of battery,” said Hollis-Jefferson.
Hollis-Jefferson said he always wants to play with a chip on his shoulder as he goes for another title against Brownlee and Ginebra. Hollis-Jefferson won over Brownlee in their first finals tiff in the 2023 Governors' Cup, but that championship won't make him less motivated.
“I look at that as a he (Brownlee) is a phenomenal player, he is excellent, and I know he is going to bring his A-game, and he will do everything to help his team win. So that gives me motivation,” said Hollis-Jefferson.
Will Hollis-Jefferson be able to find a measure of revenge from that Asian Games loss against Cone and Brownlee? The TNT import doesn’t think so.
“No. That’s a national thing. This is the first time that the Philippines won a gold medal (in decades). So when you think about it on that scale, if I take that from you and send you with a silver medal, how will the Philippines feel? That’s how I felt, even though I’m not blood (Jordanian by blood), and like that.”
“I still felt the way to be out there, and to come up short, after we beat them. We beat them by 20 the first time. That’s where you got to give credit to coach Tim, being able to make the adjustments, he is really good on his part,” said Hollis-Jefferson.
The mentality of not easily being satisfied will definitely be on display for Hollis-Jefferson as he starts his quest for a second PBA title against Ginebra on Sunday.
“It will really come down to the little things, the intangibles, getting loose balls, staying in front of your man, helping your brother if he gets beat, things like that. That will get us over the hump,” said Hollis-Jefferson.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
