Rondae Jaquan Hollis-Jefferson (born January 3, 1995) is an American naturalized Jordanian professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player for the

TNT Tropang Giga The TNT Tropang 5G is a professional basketball team currently owned by Smart Communications, a subsidiary of the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT), playing in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) since 1990. The fra ...

of the

Philippine Basketball Association The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines, composed of twelve company-branded Franchising, franchise teams. Founded in 1975, it is the first professional basketball league in Asia ...

(PBA). After playing

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

for the

Arizona Wildcats The Arizona Wildcats are the sport, athletic teams that represent the University of Arizona, located in Tucson, Arizona, Tucson. The Wildcats compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I (NCAA Divis ...

, he was selected by the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (N ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

(NBA) in the

2015 NBA draft The 2015 NBA draft was held on June 25, 2015, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. It was televised nationally in the U.S. by ESPN. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eli ...

, and spent six seasons with the NBA before playing for four different basketball teams outside the United States. He has won two PBA championships as part of the TNT Tropang Giga, and was named Best Import of the Conference twice in the 2023 Governors' Cup and the 2024 Governors' Cup.

Early life

Hollis-Jefferson was born and raised in

Chester, Pennsylvania Chester is a city in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located in the Philadelphia metropolitan area (also known as the Delaware Valley) on the western bank of the Delaware River between Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware. ...

, the son of Rylanda Hollis, a single mother who worked two jobs as a dietary supervisor and bartender. He grew up with older brother Rahlir, who also became a professional basketball player. Their father was frequently absent and spent some time in jail. Hollis-Jefferson began honing his game when he was 12. At a young age he took a strong interest in defense and acknowledged that he scored only because he was taller than his peers. He attended Chester High School where he began an outstanding basketball career under head coach Larry Yarbray. The

small forward The small forward (SF), also known as the three, is one of the five Basketball position, positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically shorter, quicker, and leaner than Power forward (basketball), power forwards and Cent ...

became the first player to ever be named Delaware County Player of the Year for multiple seasons. He was also instrumental in Chester's first-ever undefeated season. The Clippers finished 91–5 in his last three years at the school and won two state titles. In his senior year, he lost in the state title game to Lower Merion. He finished his career with more than 1,000 points and a school-record 780 rebounds. Hollis-Jefferson participated in the 2013 McDonald's All-American Game against future

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

teammate, Aaron Gordon. Following the event, he took part in the Jordan Brand Classic with some of the most highly recruited high school stars in the nation such as

Julius Randle Julius Deion Randle (born November 29, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A three-time NBA All-Star and a two-time member of the All-NBA Team, he was a ...

. At the conclusion of Hollis-Jefferson's years with the Clippers, he was tabbed the sixth-best

of his class by 247Sports.com and the fifth best by Rivals.com. He eventually chose to attend the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it ...

and represent the school through their successful

program over other possibilities such as

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

and Syracuse.

College career

In his freshman season with

, Hollis-Jefferson became known as fierce scorer, rebounder, and shot-blocker despite his relatively small size. The start of his season was marked with 10 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists against Cal Poly off the bench. He posted his first double-double in a game against

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

. He improved on his

free throw In basketball, free throws or foul shots are unopposed attempts to score points by shooting from behind the free-throw line (informally known as the foul line or the charity stripe), a line situated at the end of the restricted area. Free throws ...

shooting as his freshman year progressed. Throughout the season, Hollis-Jefferson mainly functioned as the team's

sixth man The sixth man in basketball is a player who is not a starting lineup, starter but comes off the bench much more often than other reserves, often being the first player to be substituted in, and the first to be used against the other team's subst ...

, but became a starter after Brandon Ashley was lost for the season with a foot injury in the Wildcats' 60–58 upset loss to

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

on February 1. Hollis-Jefferson ended up starting 6 of 38 games played due to the roster that was dominated by the likes of Aaron Gordon, but still got his name on the

Pac-12 The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate athletic conference in the Western United States. It participates at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level for all sports, and its football teams compete in the Football Bowl ...

All-Freshman Team. In his freshman year, Hollis-Jefferson averaged 9.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game. "It's a lot different than just waking up, going to school and playing basketball for Chester," said Hollis-Jefferson of his freshman year. "In the beginning of the season, I was lost. But it's not about who's starting, it's about who finishes. It stuck with me for about a month or so, playing behind people. I went along with it and kept playing. I need to make people respect my shot. I know I can shoot it. I have to stay in attack mode." As a sophomore, Hollis-Jefferson increased his averages to 11.3 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. He improved in his leadership and offense. As a sophomore, he was voted first-team All-Pac-12, and was named to the Pac-12 All-Defensive Team. He helped lead the Wildcats to two consecutive Elite Eight appearances in the NCAA tournament, losing to

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

on both occasions. On April 7, 2015, Hollis-Jefferson declared for the

, forgoing his final two years of college eligibility. "I don't know if I've enjoyed coaching a player more than I've enjoyed coaching Rondae," coach

Sean Miller Sean Edward Miller (born November 17, 1968) is an American college basketball coach who currently serves as head coach at the Texas Longhorns men's basketball, University of Texas at Austin. He previously served as head coach at the Arizona Wil ...

said.

Awards and honors

*NCAA Tournament West Region All-Tournament Team (2015) *First-team All-Pac-12 (2015) *Pac-12 All-Tournament Team (

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

) *Pac-12 All-Defensive Team (2015) *Pac-12 Player of the Week (2015) *

All-Freshman Team (2014) *Maui Invitational All-Tournament Team (2014)ARIZONA WILDCATS 2014 EA SPORTS MAUI INVITATIONAL CHAMPIONS
/ref>

Professional career

Brooklyn Nets (2015–2019)

On June 25, 2015, Hollis-Jefferson was selected by the

with the 23rd overall pick in the

. His draft rights, along with Steve Blake, were subsequently traded to the

Brooklyn Nets The Brooklyn Nets are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Nets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), ...

for

Mason Plumlee Mason Alexander Plumlee (born March 5, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He primarily plays the forward and center positions. As a freshman in 2009–10, he was ...

and the draft rights to the 41st overall pick, Pat Connaughton. On July 6, 2015, he signed his rookie-scale contract with the Nets. He made his debut for the Nets in their season opener on October 28, 2015, recording eight points and five rebounds off the bench in a 115–100 loss to the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded on January 16 ...

. On November 20, he had a season-best game with 13 points and 11 rebounds as a starter in a loss to the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...

. On December 7, he was diagnosed with a non-displaced fracture of the posterior talus in his right ankle, an injury requiring surgery and eight to ten weeks of rehabilitation. He returned to action in late March. On November 12, 2016, Hollis-Jefferson scored a then career-high 20 points and tied a career high with 13 rebounds in a 122–104 win over the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA), We ...

. On December 14, 2017, Hollis-Jefferson scored a career-high 25 points on 10-for-16 shooting in a 111–104 loss to the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the Na ...

. He strained his right groin during a 116–91 loss to the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

on January 26, returning to action on February 26 against the Chicago Bulls after missing the Nets' previous 11 games. Hollis-Jefferson missed the first three games of the 2018–19 season with a hip injury and the birth of his first child. On November 28, 2018, in a 101–91 loss to the

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference. Since the 1991–92 season, the ...

, Hollis-Jefferson had 14 points and a season-high 11 rebounds for his first double-double. On March 19, 2019, he made a layup with eight-tenths of a second remaining to lift the Nets to a 123–121 win over the

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Confere ...

. On June 17, the Nets opted not to make Hollis-Jefferson a qualifying offer, making him an unrestricted free agent.

Toronto Raptors (2019–2020)

On July 18, 2019, Hollis-Jefferson signed with the defending champion,

Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), E ...

. On December 3, 2020, Hollis-Jefferson signed a non-guaranteed preseason contract with the

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves (often referred to as the Wolves or T-wolves) are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Divisio ...

. He was waived by the Timberwolves shortly after he signed on December 19, 2020.

Portland Trail Blazers (2021)

On April 8, 2021, Hollis-Jefferson signed a 10-day contract with the

. On April 18, he signed a second 10-day contract and 10 days later, he signed for the rest of the season after appearing in six games.

Beşiktaş (2021–2022)

On September 28, 2021, Hollis-Jefferson signed with Beşiktaş Icrypex of the

Basketbol Süper Ligi The Basketball Super League (; TBSL), also known as the Türkiye Sigorta Basketbol Süper Ligi for sponsorship reasons, is the top men's professional basketball division of the Turkish basketball league system. It replaced the former Turkish Bas ...

. He scored a career-high 26 points in a 69–82 loss over the Rytas.

Atléticos de San Germán (2022)

On April 11, 2022, Hollis-Jefferson signed with

Atléticos de San Germán Atléticos de San Germán is a basketball club of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN) based in San Germán, Puerto Rico. Founded in the 1930s after the amalgamation of the old San Germán team and the Farmacia Martín team, the team is one of ...

of the

Baloncesto Superior Nacional The Baloncesto Superior Nacional, abbreviated as BSN, is the first-tier-level professional men's basketball list of basketball leagues, league in Puerto Rico. It was founded in 1929 and is organized by the Puerto Rican Basketball Federation. T ...

. He played 31 games and averaged 19.7 points per game. On May 16, 2023, Hollis-Jefferson was brought back by Atléticos de San Germán. He played 22 games and averaged 21.7 points per game.

TNT Tropang Giga (2023–2024)

In February 2023, Hollis-Jefferson signed with the

of the

(PBA) to replace

Jalen Hudson Jalen Andreas Hudson (born May 21, 1996) is an American professional basketball player who last played for Yukatel Merkezefendi of the Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL). He played college basketball for the Virginia Tech Hokies and the Florida Gators ...

as the team's import for the

2023 PBA Governors' Cup The 2023 PBA Governors' Cup was the third and final conference of the 2022–23 PBA season of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). The 21st edition of the Governors' Cup started on January 22 and ended on April 21, 2023. The tournament ...

. He played 16 games and averaged 30.4 points per game. On May 30, 2023, it was announced that Hollis-Jefferson will return as the team's import for the

2023–24 PBA Commissioner's Cup The 2023–24 PBA Commissioner's Cup, also known as the 2023–24 Honda PBA Commissioner's Cup for sponsorship reasons, was the first conference of the 2023–24 PBA season of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). The 21st edition of the ...

Mets de Guaynabo (2024)

On February 12, 2024, Hollis-Jefferson joined the Mets de Guaynabo after a trade with San Germán.

TNT Tropang Giga (2024–present)

In August 2024, Hollis-Jefferson returns to TNT as the team's import for the

2024 PBA Governors' Cup The 2024 PBA Governors' Cup, also known as the 2024 Honda PBA Governors' Cup for sponsorship reasons, was the first conference of the 2024–25 PBA season of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). The 22nd edition of the Governors' Cup ...

. He helped the team clinch their second consecutive Governors' Cup title, scoring 31 points in a series-clinching 95–85 victory against the

Barangay Ginebra San Miguel The Barangay Ginebra San Miguel is a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). The most popular team in the league, it is owned by Ginebra San Miguel, Ginebra San Miguel, Inc. (formerly, La Tondeña Distiller ...

in Game 6 of the Governors' Cup finals.

National team career

On July 24, 2023, the

Jordan Basketball Federation The Jordan Basketball Federation is the governing body of basketball in Jordan. The federation founded in 1957, represents basketball with public authorities as well as with national and international sports organizations and as such with Jorda ...

announced that Hollis-Jefferson had been contracted to play for the national side as a naturalized player. On August 16, 2023, he was included in

Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...

's 17-man squad for the

2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup The 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup was the 19th tournament of the FIBA Basketball World Cup for men's national basketball teams, held from 25 August to 10 September 2023. The tournament was the second to feature 32 teams and was hosted by multipl ...

. On August 28, 2023, Hollis-Jefferson drew comparisons to the late

Kobe Bryant Kobe Bean Bryant ( ; August 23, 1978 – January 26, 2020) was an American professional basketball player. A shooting guard, he List of NBA players who have spent their entire career with one franchise, spent his entire 20-year career with t ...

for his play with the Jordan national team during the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup. The Samahang Basketball ng Pilipinas of the Philippines also offered Hollis-Jefferson to play for their national team but he eventually chose Jordan.

Player profile

Hollis-Jefferson plays both

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People *Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Smal ...

positions. Using his athleticism and

wingspan The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the opposite wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingsp ...

, he is part of the NBA trend of undersized

power forwards Power may refer to: Common meanings * Power (physics), meaning "rate of doing work" ** Engine power, the power put out by an engine ** Electric power, a type of energy * Power (social and political), the ability to influence people or events Mat ...

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

, 29 , , 17 , , 21.2 , , .457 , , .286 , , .712 , , 5.3 , , 1.5 , , 1.3 , , .6 , , 5.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 78 , , 50 , , 22.6 , , .434 , , .224 , , .751 , , 5.8 , , 2.0 , , 1.1 , , .6 , , 8.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 68 , , 59 , , 28.2 , , .472 , , .241 , , .788 , , 6.8 , , 2.5 , , 1.0 , , .7 , , 13.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 59 , , 21 , , 20.9 , , .411 , , .184 , , .645 , , 5.3 , , 1.6 , , .7 , , .5 , , 8.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, 60 , , 6 , , 18.7 , , .471 , , .130 , , .734 , , 4.7 , , 1.8 , , .8 , , .4 , , 7.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

, 11 , , 1 , , 9.7 , , .500 , , .000 , , .563 , , 2.4 , , 1.2 , , .2 , , .4 , , 2.5 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 305 , , 154 , , 22.2 , , .449 , , .212 , , .735 , , 5.5 , , 1.9 , , .9 , , .5 , , 9.0

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;",

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 4 , , 0 , , 15.5 , , .485 , , 1.000 , , .800 , , 3.0 , , 1.5 , , .3 , , 1.3 , , 13.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 5 , , 0 , , 7.8 , , .400 , , .000 , , .750 , , 2.0 , , .6 , , .4 , , .2 , , 2.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 5 , , 0 , , 7.2 , , .800 , , .000 , , .667 , , 1.6 , , .0 , , .2 , , .2 , , 2.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 14 , , 0 , , 9.8 , , .500 , , .500 , , .778 , , 2.1 , , .6 , , .3 , , .5 , , 5.5

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2013–14 , style="text-align:left;",

, 38 , , 6 , , 25.3 , , .490 , , .200 , , .682 , , 5.7 , , 1.4 , , .7 , , 1.1 , , 9.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2014–15 , style="text-align:left;",

, 38 , , 25 , , 28.7 , , .502 , , .207 , , .707 , , 6.8 , , 1.5 , , 1.1 , , .8 , , 11.2 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 76 , , 31 , , 27.0 , , .496 , , .205 , , .697 , , 6.3 , , 1.5 , , .9 , , .9 , , 10.2

Personal life

Hollis-Jefferson is a practicing Muslim and

pescetarian Pescetarianism ( ; sometimes spelled pescatarianism) is a dietary practice in which seafood is the only source of meat in an otherwise vegetarian diet. The inclusion of other animal products, such as eggs and dairy, is optional. According to res ...

References

External links

Arizona Wildcats bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hollis-Jefferson, Rondae 1995 births African-American Muslims Living people 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup players 21st-century African-American sportsmen American emigrants to Jordan American expatriate basketball people in Canada American expatriate basketball people in South Korea American expatriate basketball people in the Philippines American expatriate basketball people in Turkey American men's basketball players Arizona Wildcats men's basketball players Asian Games medalists in basketball Asian Games silver medalists for Jordan Atléticos de San Germán players Basketball players at the 2022 Asian Games Basketball players from Delaware County, Pennsylvania Beşiktaş men's basketball players Brooklyn Nets players Busan KCC Egis players Chester High School alumni Jordanian expatriate basketball people in the Philippines Jordanian men's basketball players Jordanian people of African-American descent Mets de Guaynabo basketball players Muslims from Pennsylvania Naturalised basketball players Naturalized citizens of Jordan Philippine Basketball Association imports Portland Trail Blazers draft picks Portland Trail Blazers players Small forwards Sportspeople from Chester, Pennsylvania TNT Tropang 5G players Toronto Raptors players 21st-century American sportsmen 21st-century Jordanian sportsmen