Rondae Hollis-Jefferson has always wanted to be like Kobe Bryant. Playing high school basketball 15 minutes away from Kobe's alma mater, Lower Merion, had that effect on everyone in Hollis-Jefferson's neighborhood.
It took six up-and-down years in the NBA, stops in Turkey, Puerto Rico, South Korea, and the Philippines, and a naturalization process to play the 2023 FIBA World Cup for the nation of Jordan, but he's finally gotten his chance. He's been doing his best Kobe impersonation throughout the tournament, and doing it well.
Hollis-Jefferson has stepped in as the second-leading scorer in the FIBA World Cup tournament — his 31.5 points per game trails only Luka Doncic through Monday's games. And his 39 points on Monday vs. New Zealand was a tournament-high.
More than those points is how he has been getting them. Hollis-Jefferson has shaved his head, taken the no. 24, and donned an arm band over his non-shooting arm, matching the look of Kobe. And his ability to find ways to attack one-on-one has drawn the inevitable comparison to the Laker great. A highlight video comparing the two had already amassed over 26 million views in two days.
Kobe must be watching this, smiling. 🥹#FIBAWC x #WinForAll pic.twitter.com/G8QhHDgxFs
— FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 🏆 (@FIBAWC) August 26, 2023
Those who saw Hollis-Jefferson in the NBA have to be shocked at this development. The former no. 23 pick in the 2015 draft was a solid player and a great defender during his stints with the Nets, Raptors, and Blazers. But with career averages of 9.0 points and 6.7 shots per game, the knock against him was always that he couldn't score enough.
He still can't quite hit a consistent 3-pointer, but Hollis-Jefferson's time overseas has given him the chance to figure out how to dominate from the midrange and at the rim. He played the hero role well on Monday, completing a four-point play with Jordan down 85-81 and only 10.7 seconds left to send their game vs. New Zealand into overtime.
RONDAE HOLLIS-JEFFERSON.
— FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 🏆 (@FIBAWC) August 28, 2023
38 POINTS.
AND-ONE THREE-POINTER TO SEND IT TO OVERTIME.#FIBAWC x #WinForAll pic.twitter.com/i5qW7E6fAI
Hollis-Jefferson's Jordan team eventually lost in overtime, but not before he was showered by chants of "KOBE!" from the crowd.
"It means a lot," Hollis-Jefferson told FIBA Basketball of the cheers. "It's an honor. There's definitely only one Kobe, but to feel that love and energy, coming down the stretch, hitting those big shots. God was with me, and Kobe was with me for sure."
Kobe has been on Hollis-Jefferson's mind ever since he started growing up in Chester, Pennsylvania,
“Every kid around that time where we’re from was like, ‘I want to be like Kobe,'” Hollis-Jefferson told Devin Kharpertian of The Brooklyn Game back in 2015. “He inspired me like no one before, besides my mom and brother, but he’s up there.”
The resemblances in their games aren't incidental, either. Hollis-Jefferson has watched a lot of film on Kobe and thinks the two have similar size and athletic ability, as he told Spin.PH's John Mark Garcia.
"But at the end of the day, Kobe is Kobe. I’m Rondae."
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson contract
Last season, Hollis-Jefferson helped his team Tropang Giga win the Philippine Basketball Association Governor’s Cup. He's signed on to play with them through February of this upcoming season, although he told BasketNews.com that his contract does have an out clause if there are NBA teams interested in his services.
Hollis-Jefferson made an estimated $9.5 million in six NBA seasons according to Spotrac.
The league will get a better look at him when he plays against Team USA on Wednesday. He should be impossible to miss.
