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FIBA: RHJ eager to prove himself despite being out of the NBA

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Rom Anzures, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Rondae Hollis-Jefferson is set to land after his emphatic slam at the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup on August 28, 2023. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News." src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/sports/08/28/20230828-fiba-jordan-newzealand-md-2380.jpg"/><figcaption>Rondae Hollis-Jefferson is set to land after his emphatic slam at the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup on August 28, 2023. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News.</figcaption></figure></div>MANILA — Rondae Hollis-Jefferson has been through a lot in his basketball career.The 6-foot-6 wingman was a former high school five-star recruit, was the 23rd overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, was out of the league and played in Turkey and Puerto Rico, and finally won his first professional basketball championship in the PBA with the TNT Tropang Giga. And for Hollis-Jefferson, him not being in the league was both a humbling and life-changing experience for the six-year NBA veteran.“I would say, once I was out of the league, I had to reevaluate myself,” he said after their loss against New Zealand at the 2023 FIBA World Cup on Tuesday at the Mall of Asia Arena.“[When] I came out of high school, I was top 25, I was in the Green Room for the [NBA Draft] so I felt like I was on the pedestal. I felt like I could do anything that I like.”<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/08/28/23/fiba-new-zealand-escapes-jordan-in-ot-improves-to-1-1">FIBA: New Zealand escapes Jordan in OT, improves to 1-1</a></li></ul>“[But] not being in the NBA, not having a roster spot kind of woke me up to humble myself,” he said.“I doubted myself. I thought I wasn&#x27;t good enough, I thought I wasn&#x27;t capable of being a basketball player anymore, I wanted to give up.”Fortunately for RHJ, there were a couple of people who put their belief that he could redeem himself despite being left without a team after his short-term contract with the Portland Trail Blazers expired in 2021. “But I had one son at that time, and he just kept me alive. He kept the hope alive for me to keep going, to keep pushing. I went through a lot of ups and downs, but he kept me focused along with a group of other people,” he revealed.“In Puerto Rico, my first year, that’s when I kind of took that hill climb. The coach that was there, Eddie Casiano, he let me play my game. We have that father-son, brother-brother relationship where we can communicate.”That is why, as he competes in the World Cup, the former Brooklyn Net can only appreciate the opportunity that he said he did not even dream of.“I would say it’s been an honor to be in the World Cup and to get this experience,” said Hollis-Jefferson.&quot;Who would’ve thought, just a kid from Chester, Pennsylvania, never dreamed of being at the World Cup, so to be able to have that accomplishment in my belt is [very huge].&quot;As for another chance to play in the NBA or other leagues around the world, he said that he would welcome any opportunity that may come to him. “I’m open to a lot of things right now,” he said.But that won’t be until his second PBA stint with TNT ends as he guns for another championship at the 48-year-old league.“I’m playing in the Philippines this upcoming season. That season ends in February so I’m open to whoever wants to call,” Hollis-Jefferson said. For now, Hollis-Jefferson will face some of his previous opponents in the NBA on Wednesday as Jordan will be looking to steal a win from Team USA during their 8:40 matchup at the MOA Arena. <div>For more stories on the FIBA World Cup, click <a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/fibaworldcup2023" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>

FIBA: RHJ eager to prove himself despite being out of the NBA

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FIBA: RHJ eager to prove himself despite being out of the NBA

Rom Anzures,

ABS-CBN News

Published Aug 28, 2023 09:45 PM PHT

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Basketball

FIBA

FIBA World Cup

New Zealand

Jordan

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson

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