By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The TNT Tropang Giga will be fielding back one of its best-acquired imports former NBA forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson for the upcoming conference of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup this month.
It was TNT head coach Jojo Lastimosa who confirmed Tropang Giga’s latest off-season moves last August 1, 2023.
TNT’s move of re-signing Jefferson for the second-straight conference was a no-brainer after the do-it-all import led them to a championship title when they beat the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel in the 2023 PBA Governor’s Cup.
Jefferson was just dominant despite only entering midway through the import-laced conference last February 2023.
TNT was rolling without Jefferson when their import was still Jalen Hudson, kicking off the Governor’s Cup with an impressive 5-1 record.
However, everyone was surprised when the Tropang Giga pushed for Jefferson’s acquisition when they knew that his overseas stint was already done.
That midway import change then paid off dividends for the Tropang Giga franchise as Jefferson outdueled Ginebra’s resident import Justin Brownlee during the finals and averaged a near triple-double in the PBA’s biggest stage.
According to coach Lastimosa, Jefferson will not only reinforce the Tropang Giga in the PBA but he will also be playing as an import when the team kicks off its campaign in the East Asia Super League (EASL).
The EASL will be staging home-and-away games this edition and Jefferson became their best pick for the upcoming prized hoops tournament.
As of now, it is yet to be determined when will Jefferson arrive in the country due to his FIBA World Cup duties for Jordan.
Several weeks ago, the Jordan Basketball Federation announced that they just finished Jefferson’s naturalization process and is set to lead their roster in the global games this August to be held in Manila.
