# Rondae Hollis-Jefferson
**Rondae Hollis-Jefferson** (born 1995) is an American professional basketball forward who played seven years in the NBA, principally for the [Brooklyn Nets](https://www.edgepedia.org/brooklyn-nets) and [Toronto Raptors](https://www.edgepedia.org/toronto-raptors), and later became the naturalized star of the Jordan national team at the 2023 [FIBA Basketball World Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/fiba-basketball-world-cup)[1](https://www.nba.com/player/1626178/rondae-hollis-jefferson) • [2](https://apnews.com/article/1fc32d2315cea65e516ace71da1ae59d).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1995, USA[1](https://www.nba.com/player/1626178/rondae-hollis-jefferson) |
| Physical | 6'6" (1.98 m), 217 lb (98 kg)[1](https://www.nba.com/player/1626178/rondae-hollis-jefferson) |
| Draft | 2015 NBA Draft, first round, 23rd overall, by the Portland Trail Blazers[1](https://www.nba.com/player/1626178/rondae-hollis-jefferson) • [3](https://www.nba.com/nets/nets-sign-rondae-hollis-jefferson) |
| NBA career | 7 years; career averages of 9.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game[1](https://www.nba.com/player/1626178/rondae-hollis-jefferson) |
| College | Two seasons at Arizona: 67-9 team record, two Elite Eight appearances, two Pac-12 regular-season titles, one Pac-12 Tournament title[4](https://arizonawildcats.com/sports/2015/4/7/210006357) |
| Signature trait | Defensive versatility; in 2019-20 he guarded all five positions at nearly equal rates, earning a versatility rating of 94.2[5](https://www.sportingnews.com/ca/toronto-raptors/news/toronto-raptors-report-cards-what-grade-does-rondae-hollis-jefferson-deserve-for-the-2019-20-season/ltqs1h7g3e1h1dsejwhmgywpu) |
| International | Naturalized player for Jordan at FIBA World Cup 2023, including a 39-point game against New Zealand that forced overtime[2](https://apnews.com/article/1fc32d2315cea65e516ace71da1ae59d) • [6](https://assets.fiba.basketball/image/upload/documents-corporate-studies-and-facts-fiba-scouting-report-fiba-basketball-world-cup-2023.pdf) |
## College career at Arizona
During his two years playing for coach [Sean Miller](https://www.edgepedia.org/sean-miller) with the Arizona Wildcats, Hollis-[Jefferson](https://www.edgepedia.org/jefferson) was part of teams that went 67-9, reached the Elite Eight twice, won two Pac-12 regular-season crowns, and captured a Pac-12 Tournament championship, after which he entered the 2015 NBA Draft[4](https://arizonawildcats.com/sports/2015/4/7/210006357).
His sophomore season of 2014-15 was his best. He led Arizona in rebounds (6.8 per game) and blocks (0.8) while ranking third on the team in scoring (11.2) and steals (1.2), and he recorded a team-high four double-doubles[4](https://arizonawildcats.com/sports/2015/4/7/210006357). He led the Pac-12 with 205 free throw attempts, making 145 of them (70.7 percent), and earned first-team All-Pac-12 honors and a place on the Pac-12 All-Defensive Team[4](https://arizonawildcats.com/sports/2015/4/7/210006357). In eight career NCAA Tournament games he averaged 14.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks while shooting 54.7 percent from the floor[4](https://arizonawildcats.com/sports/2015/4/7/210006357). Across 76 games in an Arizona uniform he averaged 10.2 points and 6.3 rebounds in 27.0 minutes per contest[4](https://arizonawildcats.com/sports/2015/4/7/210006357).
## NBA career
The [Portland Trail Blazers](https://www.edgepedia.org/portland-trail-blazers) selected Hollis-Jefferson with the 23rd pick of the 2015 draft, making him the 21st first-round pick in Arizona program history; he did not play for Portland, as on draft night Brooklyn acquired him along with guard [Steve Blake](https://www.edgepedia.org/steve-blake) in exchange for center [Mason Plumlee](https://www.edgepedia.org/mason-plumlee) and the rights to the 41st selection, Pat Connaughton[3](https://www.nba.com/nets/nets-sign-rondae-hollis-jefferson) • [7](https://arizonawildcats.com/sports/2015/6/26/210169549), and he later returned to play 11 regular-season games for Portland in the 2020–21 season[13](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/h/holliro01.html).
In Brooklyn he established himself as a defensive-minded rotation forward. A 2018 Nets season review called him arguably the team's most effective all-around player in 2017-18, his first full season as a power forward, praising his perimeter defense and rebounding despite giving up size each night[8](https://www.nba.com/nets/news/2018/05/07/rondae-hollis-jefferson-player-recap). The Ringer noted that when he was on the floor the Nets posted their highest defensive rebounding percentage (77.7 percent) and total rebounding percentage (52.3)[9](https://www.theringer.com/2016/09/09/nba/brooklyn-nets-rondae-hollis-jefferson-2015-nba-draft-40ca42ef286).
He later joined the Toronto Raptors, where the 2019-20 season produced the statistical peak of his defensive reputation. According to data cited by Sporting News, he posted a defensive versatility rating of 94.2, spending almost equal time guarding point guards (18.3 percent), shooting guards (23.6 percent), small forwards (19.3 percent), power forwards (21.0 percent), and centers (17.7 percent)[5](https://www.sportingnews.com/ca/toronto-raptors/news/toronto-raptors-report-cards-what-grade-does-rondae-hollis-jefferson-deserve-for-the-2019-20-season/ltqs1h7g3e1h1dsejwhmgywpu). He played 19.2 minutes per game for Toronto, often functioning as a center on offense alongside [Marc Gasol](https://www.edgepedia.org/marc-gasol) and [Serge Ibaka](https://www.edgepedia.org/serge-ibaka)[5](https://www.sportingnews.com/ca/toronto-raptors/news/toronto-raptors-report-cards-what-grade-does-rondae-hollis-jefferson-deserve-for-the-2019-20-season/ltqs1h7g3e1h1dsejwhmgywpu).
A short stint with the [Minnesota Timberwolves](https://www.edgepedia.org/minnesota-timberwolves) followed at the start of the 2020-21 season; he never appeared in a regular-season game for the team, though rookie [Anthony Edwards](https://www.edgepedia.org/anthony-edwards-ep8zmhhffp) remembered him as "kind of like my vet"[2](https://apnews.com/article/1fc32d2315cea65e516ace71da1ae59d). He did not play in the NBA again after June 2021[2](https://apnews.com/article/1fc32d2315cea65e516ace71da1ae59d).
## Playing style
Hollis-Jefferson's game rests on defense, rebounding, and energy rather than shooting. Commentators consistently identified his lack of a reliable jump shot as the central limitation: playing him at the wing positions shrinks the floor and can leave his team effectively playing 4-on-5 on offense, while his value comes from switching onto multiple positions and, in small-ball lineups, playing center[5](https://www.sportingnews.com/ca/toronto-raptors/news/toronto-raptors-report-cards-what-grade-does-rondae-hollis-jefferson-deserve-for-the-2019-20-season/ltqs1h7g3e1h1dsejwhmgywpu) • [9](https://www.theringer.com/2016/09/09/nba/brooklyn-nets-rondae-hollis-jefferson-2015-nba-draft-40ca42ef286). Raptors coach [Nick Nurse](https://www.edgepedia.org/nick-nurse), asked what Hollis-Jefferson brought the team in late November 2019, answered simply, "He's just a really good player"[10](https://raptorsrepublic.com/2019/12/18/102759/).
## Jordan national team and later career
After leaving the NBA, Hollis-Jefferson played in Turkey, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines[11](https://as.com/us/masdeporte/bano-masaje-y-ant-man-n/). In the Philippines he led the TNT Tropang Giga to the 2023 PBA Governors' Cup championship[12](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6i5zx-HlKw).
In August 2023 he became a naturalized player for the Jordan national team at the FIBA Basketball World Cup, co-hosted by the Philippines, Japan, and Indonesia[2](https://apnews.com/article/1fc32d2315cea65e516ace71da1ae59d) • [6](https://assets.fiba.basketball/image/upload/documents-corporate-studies-and-facts-fiba-scouting-report-fiba-basketball-world-cup-2023.pdf). He was the only player on Jordan's roster with NBA experience and led the team with 20 points and seven rebounds in a 110-62 group-stage loss to the United States, having scored 66 points across Jordan's first two games[2](https://apnews.com/article/1fc32d2315cea65e516ace71da1ae59d). His 39-point performance against New Zealand, a game that went to overtime, gave Jordan its best chance of a win at the tournament, which the team finished without a victory[6](https://assets.fiba.basketball/image/upload/documents-corporate-studies-and-facts-fiba-scouting-report-fiba-basketball-world-cup-2023.pdf).
The Manila crowds noticed the styling as much as the scoring: Hollis-Jefferson has modeled his game, and his haircut, on [Los Angeles Lakers](https://www.edgepedia.org/los-angeles-lakers) legend [Kobe Bryant](https://www.edgepedia.org/kobe-bryant), and he wore No. 24 for Jordan at the World Cup while receiving occasional "Kobe! Kobe!" chants[2](https://apnews.com/article/1fc32d2315cea65e516ace71da1ae59d).
## References
1. [Rondae Hollis-Jefferson player profile, NBA.com](https://www.nba.com/player/1626178/rondae-hollis-jefferson)
2. [USA rolls past Jordan 110-62, AP News (August 30, 2023)](https://apnews.com/article/1fc32d2315cea65e516ace71da1ae59d)
3. [Nets Sign Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Brooklyn Nets](https://www.nba.com/nets/nets-sign-rondae-hollis-jefferson)
4. [Hollis-Jefferson Declares for NBA Draft, University of Arizona Athletics](https://arizonawildcats.com/sports/2015/4/7/210006357)
5. [Toronto Raptors Report Cards: Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, 2019-20, Sporting News](https://www.sportingnews.com/ca/toronto-raptors/news/toronto-raptors-report-cards-what-grade-does-rondae-hollis-jefferson-deserve-for-the-2019-20-season/ltqs1h7g3e1h1dsejwhmgywpu)
6. [FIBA Scouting Report, FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023](https://assets.fiba.basketball/image/upload/documents-corporate-studies-and-facts-fiba-scouting-report-fiba-basketball-world-cup-2023.pdf)
7. [Johnson, Hollis-Jefferson Taken in First Round of NBA Draft, University of Arizona Athletics](https://arizonawildcats.com/sports/2015/6/26/210169549)
8. [Brooklyn Nets Season Review: Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Brooklyn Nets](https://www.nba.com/nets/news/2018/05/07/rondae-hollis-jefferson-player-recap)
9. [The Hidden Impact of Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, The Ringer](https://www.theringer.com/2016/09/09/nba/brooklyn-nets-rondae-hollis-jefferson-2015-nba-draft-40ca42ef286)
10. [What to expect from Rondae Hollis-Jefferson for the rest of the season?, Raptors Republic](https://raptorsrepublic.com/2019/12/18/102759/)
11. [Baño, masaje y 'Ant Man', AS](https://as.com/us/masdeporte/bano-masaje-y-ant-man-n/)
12. [Rondae Hollis-Jefferson explains decision to become Jordan's naturalized player for FIBA World Cup, YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6i5zx-HlKw)
13. [basketball-reference.com](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/h/holliro01.html)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Basketball and court team sports › Basketball players and coaches (biographies) › NBA players, 2011–2018 › NBA forwards, 2011–2018*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license