The last time they faced in a PBA Finals, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and TNT prevailed.
Justin Brownlee could not help but feel elated with the upcoming matchup against counterpart Rondae Hollis-Jefferson in the PBA Season 49 Governors’ Cup Finals.
While he is widely considered the GOAT import, Brownlee’s only loss in the finals came at the hands of RHJ and the Tropang Giga in the 2023 Governors’ Cup.
“It's always an honor to play against a guy like that who's been very decorated his whole amateur and professional career playing in the NBA, has been having an incredible professional career overseas as well,” Brownlee said of the former Brooklyn Net.
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Their latest battle came in the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China where Gilas Pilipinas toppled RHJ’s Jordan in the gold medal match.
RHJ is a naturalized player for Jordan.
Brownlee only has praises for the do-it-all TNT import, saying the Kobe Bryant look-alike should be in the NBA with the way he’s been playing overseas.
“For me I feel like he should be in the NBA, he’s really good. It's gonna be a fun matchup, good for the fans, hopefully it's entertaining. And hopefully, we can do whatever we gotta do to come out and win the championship,” he said.
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Going up against a player of RHJ’s stature only spices up the upcoming finale which unfurls on October 27 at the Ynares Sports Center in Antipolo.
“It's gonna be a lot different but it's still not gonna be easy, it's gonna be very tough," he said.
"Of course we want to — I guess you'll say try to avenge the Finals from last year, but we're just looking to take one step at a time, not try to get ahead of ourselves. We're just expecting a hard-fought, tough series from TNT."