ALTHOUGH his side was unable to get over the line, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson continues to edge closer to punching his ticket back into the NBA after another stellar performance in the 2023 FIBA World Cup.

Hollis-Jefferson’s Jordan took on the New Zealand Tall Blacks in the group phase on Monday night, and both teams came into the match off tough losses against quality opposition. The Tall Blacks were slim favourites as they are ranked seven spots higher than their opponent at 26th in the world, and both teams needed a win to keep their tournament alive.

It was a close start to the game, with both sides playing with high-tempo and looking to create looks with clever dish-offs. However, New Zealand broke away in the second quarter with a solid performance, getting some good looks inside the paint to lead by nine points at the main break. The Jordanians were able to stop the bleeding heading into the fourth quarter, but still trailed by eight.

With its tournament on the line, Jordan lifted in the final 10 minutes of the game, storming home to get within four points before some Hollis-Jefferson brilliance sent the game to overtime, but the Tall Blacks still claimed an eight-point win.

Hollis-Jefferson continued his strong tournament against New Zealand, putting the team on his back once again and almost single-handedly kept Jordan’s season alive.

New Zealand (95) def. Jordan (87)

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson – 39 points, nine rebounds, four assists, two steals

The former NBA talent has been gathering plenty of attention thanks to his high level of play for Jordan over the past week, and that trend continued on Monday night.

Hollis-Jefferson carried Jordan with yet another offensive explosion, providing plenty of isolation scoring as he defied the extra defensive attention to finish with a game-high 39 points.

He nailed 12 shots on 24 attempts, proving a mid-range menace as he rose above the defence to knock down shot after shot.

Hollis-Jefferson was relentless when attacking the rim, highlighted by a thunderous slam over the top of Finn Delany, producing an old-fashioned posterizer. Still as athletic as his NBA days, Hollis-Jefferson timed his cuts to perfection and finished with authority.

Down four points and with the game on the line, Hollis-Jefferson took the ball and the responsibility to keep his side alive. Miraculously, he nailed his first three-pointer of the match, while also drawing contact and completing the four-point play, thus sending the match to overtime in the play of the tournament to date.

Although Jordan fell seven points short, Hollis-Jefferson still excelled in the tough loss to New Zealand, and keep an eye on his name potentially popping up on an NBA roster after drawing comparisons to all-time great Kobe Bryant. Chants of “KOBE” from the crowd even formed, showcasing how well the 28-year-old played.