HANGZHOU – From the Fiba World Cup in Manila to the 19th Asian Games in China.
Fans from around the world can’t help but compare Rondae Hollis-Jefferson to the late basketball great Kobe Bryant especially after seeing him steer Jordan to its first ever medal – a silver at that – in the Asiad men’s basketball competition.
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From his looks, spin moves, to those jaw-dropping fadeaways, the Jordan naturalized player and TNT import in the PBA reminds the growing basketball fans in this country of billion people, of the image and likeness of the revered Los Angeles Lakers superstar.
No wonder, the 28-year-old Hollis-Jefferson drew a lot of ‘Kobe’ ‘Kobe’ cheers from the capacity crowd who watched the gold medal match between the Philippines and Jordan, which Gilas Pilipinas won, 70-60.
A first-round pick in the 2015 NBA draft out of Arizona, Hollis-Jefferson finished with a game-high 24 points, 12 rebounds, and five assists in the finale, but somehow couldn’t get Jordan past Gilas Pilipinas, which features PBA rival Justin Brownlee.
Yet, Hollis-Jefferson drew the cheers from Chinese fans the same way he did when he first suited up for Jordan in the recent Fiba World Cup.
“It’s an honor to be compared to my favorite athlete, one of the best to ever play the game,” he said about the comparison with Kobe.
“But at the end of the day, you know, Kobe was Kobe. He did things like no else could. So to be compared to that, I feel extremely humbled and honored.”
Hollis-Jefferson did acknowledged the warm welcome him given by Chinese fans, who revered the five-time NBA champion who died in 2020 at the age of 41.
“I thank the fans here for giving me that love, because without them, you wouldn’t hear those chants. I appreciate them and I will continue to keep working,” he said.
After the Asiad, Hollis-Jefferson will return to Manila and play for TNT in Season 48 of the PBA.
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