Rondae Hollis-Jefferson is ready to make his highly anticipated comeback when TNT takes on the hopeless Macau in a bid to better their placing in Group A of the PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup later at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
The reigning conference champions have already clinched a quarterfinal spot following their 116-98 victory over San Miguel Beer last Saturday in Antipolo — a game which the three-time Best Import actually watched live.
And that proved a sign of his return, as the Tropang 5G activated their resident import a day prior to their meeting with the league’s cellar-dwellers.
The 5:15 PM bout will be his first official game since December 6, 2025, or since helping Meralco beat, coincidentally, Macau, 93-91, back when he served as one of the Bolts’ reinforcements for the 2025-26 East Asia Super League.
In that same game, held at the Capital Arena in Isabela, ‘RHJ’ tore his Achilles. It dealt a major blow not only to Meralco’s campaign in the pan-regional competition but also to TNT’s bid in the PBA’s golden season.
(C) EASL
Without him, Coach Chot Reyes & Co. struggled to find import stability, the very reason why the flagship MVP franchise has yet to win a crown this season.
In fact, they brought in three in this conference alone, from the ineffective Darius Days, to Rondae’s brother Rahlir, and just recently Nick Hornsby.
But now, hope has come for the Tropa with Hollis-Jefferson back, indeed a massive boost to their bid of going back-to-back in this tourney.
Tonight’s game will also mark his first PBA game since Game 7 of the Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup Finals back on March 28, 2025, in which he helped his side outlast Ginebra in overtime, 87-83, at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
Winners of two straight, TNT will look to mark its on-court reunion with the former NBA vet in triumphant fashion against a Giant Pandas side that has become a two-man show with Kobey Lam and Oscar Lopez.
Squaring off in the 7:30 PM nightcap are Meralco and Blackwater, in a battle between Group B teams jockeying for quarterfinal positioning.
As it stands, the Bossing are at fourth in the tough pool with a 3-4 win-loss record and sitting behind them are the Bolts, who are toting a 3-5 card.
Meralco is looking to make it two in a row, having beaten Barangay Ginebra, 97-88, just before the league headed into a weeks-long international break.
Meralco enters the game as a -5.5 favorite over Blackwater, according to Casino Plus. The over/under is set at 199.5.
But they will have to do so against a Blackwater team keen on getting back on track after losing a close one to the streaking Magnolia, 107-101, last week.
Plus, Coach Pat Aquino and his men are coming in armed with an extra push, having lost in their first-round encounter in the final seconds, 116-114, after Chris Newsome came through in the clutch with a tough jumper.
