Rondae Hollis-Jefferson would be the very first to admit the challenges of observing Ramadan while playing, as he’s about to play through it again.
But the two-time PBA Best Import is looking forward to it at the same time, even though it will coincide with the Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup semifinals.
“I look forward to it. I embrace it,” the resident TNT reinforcement said. “And as a Muslim, that’s what we’re supposed to do. Nothing’s gonna change. I’ve played in Ramadan a couple of times so I look forward to it.”
Hollis-Jefferson offered as much Thursday night, moments after the Tropang Giga utilized its win-once quarterfinal incentive to eliminate an extremely worn out Hong Kong Eastern, 109-93, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
He played for nearly 44 minutes and went on to finish with 31 points and 15 rebounds to star in his side’s rout of the guest team, who played two knockout matches in 24 hours, with the other one in the East Asia Super League.
That meant not just a semis trip — their first in this conference since 2019 — but a longer rest period as well.
The league plans to start the next games on February 26 or after the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers’ third window.
And come March 1, the 30-year-old will begin observing Ramadan, where they are obligated to fast every day from dawn to sunset for about a month.
He did the same during his maiden PBA stint back in 2023, as well as the playoffs of the Governors’ Cup. Still, they managed to win it all by beating San Miguel in the semis and then Barangay Ginebra in the finale.
It’s tough to do so whenever, according to the naturalized Jordanian, since he always needs at least a few days before getting used to it.
But he remains committed to it, no matter what.
“I try to really exert myself in like the first week to get my body adjusted, get acclimated to feeling how I feel, you know, not having as much water in my system,” he said.
“Later on in the day, you’re talking about 4 o’clock, 5 o’clock, where you’re almost there, you’re almost able to drink but you can’t, those are the moments you really wanna try to see if you can exert and push yourself to the next level.”
