Rondae Hollis-Jefferson recently earned comparisons to Michael Jordan. This is quite amusing since he has already been compared to Kobe Bryant. As some fans might have heard, he has been putting up impressive performances for his team at the FIBA World Cup. Interestingly, his country is also named Jordan.
Some fans should know that he is a former NBA player best known for his time with the Brooklyn Nets. However, he hasn’t played in the league since 2021. Therefore, RHJ fell off the radar for most of the basketball community. He has regained a lot of lost attention with his elite play for his country.
Since this is the NBA offseason, the 2023 FIBA World Cup has been given a lot of attention by NBA fans. When fans saw Jefferson play, he instinctively reminded them of Kobe Bryant. Not only did he look similar from a distance and had an identical build, but Rondae also wore #24 just like the Black Mamba.
With his most recent 26-point performance against Mexico, fans are now claiming that he also has a little of Michael Jordan in him. Although this could be blowing things out of proportion, let us take a closer look and find out more.
Why is Rondae Hollis-Jefferson being compared to Michael Jordan?
As already mentioned, there were a lot of similarities that fans were able to get from Jefferson and Bryant. Perhaps, as a result of that, he has also started earning comparisons to Michael Jordan. After all, fans will not disagree with the statement that Bryant and Jordan had a similar playstyle.
One of Jordan’s most acknowledged abilities was his athleticism and dunking skills. The way he landed after dunking the ball from a distance is something that Bulls fans will remember. During the final minutes of the first quarter, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson exploded to the rim and detonated with a vicious dunk.
The last time we checked he was Kobe.
NOW HE IS MJ? 🤯#FIBAWC pic.twitter.com/3YOA0N1HQP
— FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 🏆 (@FIBAWC) September 2, 2023
It looked very impressive and certainly riled the crowd up. Most importantly, it had a Jordanesque feel to it which got fans across the world hyped up, “RHJ might be a hybrid of Jordan & Kobe.”
😳 RHJ might be a hybrid of Jordan & Kobe.
— Tom (@tom_whatever) September 2, 2023
Scoring 26 points and having impressive dunks on an international stage is no small matte. However, many fans are quick to tear down this accomplishment by reminding others that RHJ has yet to lead his team to a single victory. They are all but disqualified from the FIBA World Cup at this point in time.
In any case, it is still nice to see a player get his props. One could argue that all of this also speaks to the legacy that players such as Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan have left for modern basketball players.