Hollis-Jefferson denies Brownlee, snags 1st Best Import honors

MANILA, Philippines – Rondae Hollis-Jefferson lived up to his billing as a former NBA veteran.

Hollis-Jefferson captured the Best Import of Conference plum in the 2023 PBA Governors’ Cup following a stellar campaign that saw him steer TNT to the finals.

A replacement for Jalen Hudson, Hollis-Jefferson churned out 30.4 points, 12.4 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 2.2 steals, and 1 block through the semifinals to average a league-best 57.1 statistical points (SPs).

The former Brooklyn Nets standout, who played six seasons in the NBA, denied Barangay Ginebra star Justin Brownlee a fourth Best Import honor.

Despite enjoying a blazing 5-1 start with Hudson, the Tropang Giga still opted to bring in Hollis-Jefferson with hopes of making a deep playoff run.

That decision paid off as Hollis-Jefferson powered TNT to five straight wins to end the elimination round as they snagged the top seed with a 10-1 card.

Hollis-Jefferson led the Tropang Giga to seven consecutive victories in total after recording back-to-back triple-doubles against Phoenix in the quarterfinals and Meralco in Game 1 of the semifinals.

Overall, Hollis-Jefferson posted a 9-1 record through the semifinals, losing just once in their 3-1 conquest of the Bolts as he capped the series with back-to-back 40-point explosions.

The 28-year-old became the sixth import in franchise history to win the award after Ronnie Coleman, Silas Mills, Jerald Honeycutt, Richard Howell, and Terrence Jones.

Seeking to break his tie with Allen Durham for solo second in the list for most Best Import wins, Brownlee fell short despite an impressive run where he averaged 27.3 points, 10.5 rebounds, 6.9 assists, 1.3 blocks, and 1.1 steals.

Brownlee, who finished second to Hollis-Jefferson in the statistical battle with 52.5 SPs, also guided the Gin Kings to the finals as he zeroed in on his seventh title, which will make him the winningest import in league history.

Meralco’s KJ McDaniels and San Miguel’s Cameron Clark also vied for the Best Import plum with 49.2 SPs and 48.7 SPs, respectively. – Rappler.com

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Delfin Dioquino

Delfin Dioquino dreamt of being a PBA player, but he did not have the skills to make it. So he pursued the next best thing to being an athlete – to write about them. He took up journalism at the University of Santo Tomas and joined Rappler as soon as he graduated in 2017.