By REY C. LACHICA
HANGZHOU, China – Other than the Chinese stars, TNT import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson is easily one of the recognizable stars in the basketball competitions of the 19th Asian Games here.
Chants of “Kobe! Kobe!” reverberated inside the Hangzhou Olympic Basketball Centre as the TNT import – who plays as naturalized player of Jordan – drove past a phalanx of Gilas defenders during their game Saturday.
He was called “Kobe” because of his likeness to the late LA Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant.
Apart from his similarity of the NBA Hall of Famer, RHJ also wears No. 24 – the same number of Bryant.
RHJ has long been doing the jumpers and fadeaways where Bryant were famous for, but his are not as fluid and graceful.
Still, RHJ was thankful for the comparison, saying: “It’s an honor to be compared to my favorite athlete, one of the best to ever play the game.”
Sadly for his TNT fans, he helped power Jordan to a massive 87-62 win over Gilas for the team’s perfect 3-0 record in group elims.
With his impressive showing in the PBA and in the FIBA tournaments, RHJ is hoping to earn another shot at NBA.
