Focus at the 2023 FIBA World Cup usually goes to the top teams such as Team USA, Spain and Germany amongst others. But despite starting the tournament 0-2, the Middle Eastern country of Jordan has received some attention as well, in particular the play of former NBA first-round pick Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and his game’s uncanny resemblance to Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant.
Hollis-Jefferson hasn’t played in the NBA since 2021, mainly due to his struggles to be a consistent offensive threat, but in the World Cup, he has been unstoppable.
In Jordan’s opener against Greece, Hollis-Jefferson led all scorers with 24 points to go along with nine rebounds in a loss. But his offensive display led everyone to come to the same conclusion, namely that Hollis-Jefferson looked like a left-handed Kobe Bryant, via FIBA World Cup Twitter:
Kobe must be watching this, smiling. ?#FIBAWC x #WinForAll pic.twitter.com/G8QhHDgxFs
— FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 ? (@FIBAWC) August 26, 2023
It is honestly unbelievable how similar all of the moves look as Jefferson clearly studied what Kobe did. He also wears the number 24 which had long been his number of choice both in college and the NBA as well. But despite a great outing, Hollis-Jefferson would get even better in his second game.
In Jordan’s second game, Hollis-Jefferson finished with a tournament-high 39 points along with nine rebounds and four assists. He also stepped up huge hitting some big shots in the clutch including a four-point play that helped send the game into overtime. Unfortunately, Jordan would come up short in the extra period against New Zealand, but afterward, Hollis-Jefferson said that he felt Kobe with him during those moments via Basket News:
“It means a lot. It’s an honor you know. Definitely there was only one Kobe, but to feel that love and that energy you know. Coming down the stretch hitting those big shots God was with me and Kobe was with me for sure.”
International tournaments always allow players to star in different roles and showcase areas of their game that many don’t realize are in their bag. Hollis-Jefferson was a defensive-minded player who averaged double-figures just once in six NBA seasons. But at the FIBA World Cup, he has channeled his inner Kobe to become one of the tournament’s most prolific scorers.
Bam Adebayo shares Lakers legend Kobe Bryant’s mindset of wanting to play every game
One thing Kobe Bryant was also known for was playing in every game possible. If the Lakers legend was able to suit up, he was going to be on the court, which isn’t always the case these days, with ‘load management’ becoming the norm for many stars.
But Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo prefers the Kobe mindset, as he recently revealed. Adebayo mentioned how he would give his last dollar to go see Kobe when he was a kid and that he wants to do the same for kids today.