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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Basketball devider Can Rondae Hollis-Jefferson break the TNT import curse?

Can Rondae Hollis-Jefferson break the TNT import curse?

Published Apr 19, 2023 01:27 am
Throughout its franchise, TNT has brought in numerous NBA-caliber players and highly touted journeymen as imports in the PBA. Some managed to live up to the hype surrounding them but only a few dominated and rose above their peers and won the Best Import award. *Rondae Hollis-Jefferson winning the Best Import Award. (PBA Image)*


Only five TNT reinforcements so far have won the Best Import award throughout the franchise history: Silas Mills, Jerald Honeycutt, Richard Howell, Terrence Jones and recently Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. However, an import winning the award would actually mean the other way around for the Tropa's title aspirations. So far, no Best Import award recipient in history has helped the team win the crown. It is as if winning the award comes in with a curse that torments the franchise and denies them good fortune in the Finals. Mills, Howell, Jones and Honeycutt, who even won the plum twice in the past, tried but all failed, settling for bridesmaid finishes at best.  “Josh (Reyes) was talking to me about, ‘Sana wag manalo si Rondae (Jefferson), kasi everytime na nanalo ‘yung best import sa amin, natatalo kami’,” Lastimosa said of his exchange with long-time TNT assistant Josh Reyes. “Sabi ko, in contrast, with Sean Chambers before, although I think he won one, or I remember we had some imports who won, but we won! Sabi ko, ‘It’s ok with me,” added Lastimosa. Mills saw his Mobiline team settle for second in 1998 against Shell while Honeycutt, who won the award in 2002 Commissioner’s Cup and 2004-05 Fiesta Conference for the then Talk N’ Text Phone Pals, suffered the same fate, losing to Red Bull and San Miguel in the Finals, respectively. Howell also couldn’t escape the curse as Talk N’ Text fell in the Finals against the eventual Grand Slam winner San Mig Coffee in the 2014 Commissioner’s Cup. Jones would then arrive five years later just to also fail with the TNT Katropa, losing to San Miguel through seven games in the 2019 Commissioner’s Cup. Now, with Hollis-Jefferson standing in the same position with those who won before him, a question that is begging for an answer has surfaced. Can he break the curse? Can he bring the TNT over hump this time around? It remains to be seen especially with the Finals series knotted at 2-2, heading into Game 5 but for Lastimosa, the fortune of winning the title always lies in their hands. “It really doesn’t matter who’s the best player if he has an axe to grind or he has a chip on his shoulder for not winning, I think most likely, you're gonna win,” he added. (*SONNY DAANOY, OJT*)

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PBA Governers Cup TNT Rondae Hollis-Jefferson
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