Rondae Hollis-Jefferson clarified that he didn’t approach the Rain or Shine bench as what appeared to be the case late in TNT’s eventual loss in an emotional PBA Season 48 Commissioner’s Cup encounter, Friday night.
The resident Tropang Giga import insisted that he only followed a referee to air his disappointment after Rahlir got slapped with a technical foul for disrespectfully addressing an official with exactly 49 seconds left to play.
His older bro got T’d up as he resented the foul called against him following an attempt to block the lay-up of opposing import Tree Treadwell.
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“I didn’t go to their bench. I was talking to the ref,” he told reporters moments after their 119-112 defeat at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
“I was upset at the ref’s call, so I followed the ref down the sideline. The ref will tell you.”
Out of the conference due to a neck injury, Rondae came all the way from his seat which was near near the TNT bench to follow the referee, but found himself behind the Elasto Painters bench in doing so.
It then led to a verbal exchange between him and RoS head coach Yeng Guiao, before Hollis-Jefferson was brought away from the heated spat.
The former NBA cager then walked near the entrance to the dugout but no untoward incident took place after the match. TNT headed to its locker room first, with veteran guard Jayson Castro bringing him over.
Rondae argued that he can go express what he had felt since he’s only a ‘fan’ and just wanted to stand up for Rahlir, who’s four years his elder.
“As you all know, the last game I came to, against Ginebra, I was told to get out of the bench because I’m not on the roster. Therefore, I am a fan. Therefore, as a fan, I can move about where I want,” he stated.
“Out of frustration as a fan of TNT — I’m a fan of TNT right now — and as a little brother of a person that’s doing really well, I was hurt,” he added as Rahlir had 50 points and 16 rebounds.
“My emotions led me to follow the referee.”
Rondae said that he meant no disrespect whatsoever towards anyone from Rain or Shine, although he didn’t like what he heard from Guiao.
(C) Smart Sports Screencapture
“I have no disrespect to your team. I said nothing to your team. Nothing. So for you to talk to me like that as a man, when I got kids, I would never talk to you like that. I will never say anything to you like that,” he said.
“I would never flip you off,” the 29-year-old furthered.
“I’m sure they got that on camera, him flipping me off. Let’s play that back, please.”
