RONDAE Hollis Jefferson said he would've relished the chance to play against his brother Rahlir in the PBA Finals, but he made one thing clear.
“If they (Kings) want him, sure. I don’t mind. He still can’t guard me,” a laughing RHJ said when asked about the prospect of his brother wearing a Barangay Ginebra jersey and playing against him and TNT in the PBA Commissioner's Cup Finals.
READ RHJ's brother Rahlir also considered as Brownlee replacement
Ginebra coach Tim Cone bared the team considered tapping Rahlir as a replacement when resident import Justin Brown dislocated his right thumb late in Game Three which the TNT Tropang Giga won.
Cone said the team eyed the older Hollis-Jefferson since he’s currently in town, while also considering 6-foot-10 Gilas Pilipinas naturalized player Ange Kouame.
“We were exploring options. We were making phone calls, there were some talks about getting RHJ’s brother as well,” Cone revealed Friday following the Kings’ 95-78 win in Game 4.
“We had everything on the table. Alfrancis (Chua) was the one really in charge of that.”
But Brownlee was such a warrior that he played through the pain of a dislocated thumb. He finished with 23 points, 12 rebounds, and five assists in the win that levelled the best-of-seven series at 2-2.
Rondae though, hopes other PBA teams would also consider getting the services of his 33-year-old brother, who once played for the Tropang Giga during the 2023 Commissioner’s Cup as a replacement import to RHJ.
“They saw him (Rahlir) play when he was here when I got injured,” he recalled. “Hopefully, others would give him a chance. I think the next conference with an import is Governors’ (Cup). So he’s right up there at 6-foot-6.
“So who wouldn’t want to see me destroy him cause he can’t guard me.”
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