MANILA, Philippines—TNT star Rondae Hollis-Jefferson’s return to the PBA was eventful, to say the least.
For one, last season’s Governors’ Cup Best Import had a short first game back after being ejected in the third quarter of the Tropang Giga’s 101-98 over Converge in the Commissioner’s Cup at Ynares Center in Antipolo on Sunday.
That, however, wasn’t what stuck with netizens—and Hollis-Jefferson, himself—the morning after.
In a photo taken by PBA Images during the game, FiberXers Kevin Racal and Schonny Winston tried to take the ball away from the Jordan national team cager.
Except, Winston didn’t really have his hand on the ball. The La Salle product, instead, palmed the TNT import’s head, which made players around the league laugh on Instagram.
Tropang Giga’s Poy Erram uploaded a video on the social media platform, showing Hollis-Jefferson cackling at the said photo.
“Ano’ng F ‘to? F1, F2, F3 or F4?” wrote Erram. “All ball, ref!”
Even Hollis-Jefferson had a laugh at the situation, tagging the PBA in the comment section and saying Winston doesn’t look like he’s going for the ball; a golden opportunity for San Miguel’s Chris Ross to throw in a punchline.
“He goin’ for the bald,” wrote Ross.
Despite all the shenanigans on Sunday, Hollis-Jefferson still made the most of his minutes before the ejection with a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds.