Rondae Hollis-Jefferson is an American-Jordanian professional basketball player who plays for the Atléticos de San Germán of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN). He spent six seasons in the NBA, and played college basketball for the Arizona Wildcats. He is also a member of the Jordan national team, which is competing in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023.
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson Looks, Plays, and Moves Like Kobe Bryant Now
Recently Hollis-Jefferson had a remarkable performance against New Zealand in the group stage of the World Cup. He scored 39 points and grabbed 9 rebounds, leading his team to a close overtime loss. He also hit a clutch four-point play with seconds left in regulation the game, and his team down by four points. Ultimately his heroic effort was not enough to secure a win.
What made his performance even more impressive and memorable was his striking resemblance to the late Kobe Bryant, one of the greatest basketball players of all time. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson not only looks like Kobe, he does the same moves and celebrations, wears the same forearm band style, and also wears number 24, which was one of Kobe’s jersey numbers later in his career. Even his intricate mannerisms such as his scowl after intense plays seems very similar to the late Lakers legend.
Fans on social media watching the game, which took place at the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines, noticed the similarity, which led to many people having feelings of nostalgia. Some people found it mysterious, because his jersey also had the name “Jordan”, which almost made it like the two legends channeling through him at the same time. Although in this case it was referring to his country, which is in Southwest Asia.
During his NBA career, Hollis-Jefferson was mostly known as a defensive player, which makes this moment that much more impressive. When you heard his name, you never thought about him hitting turn around fadeaways over multiple defenders. Now that’s he out of the league, it seems his game has leveled up.
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson’s Kobe Bryant clone like performance at the FIBA 2023 Basketball World Cup was definitely a game where you watch and think, “How is that guy not in the NBA”. Keep in mind this guy is only 28 years old, so technically he should still be in his prime physically.
Kobe, who died in a helicopter crash in January 2020, was a global ambassador for the sport and a five-time NBA champion. He also won two Olympic gold medals with Team USA, and was posthumously inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020. His legacy continues to live on forever.
