By ADRIAN STEWART CO

The TNT Tropang Giga is planning to activate Rahlir Hollis-Jefferson in lieu of his injured younger brother, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, for the remainder of the 2023-2024 PBA Commissioner’s Cup.

According to Tropang Giga head coach Jojo Lastimosa, they will opt for Rahlir for their remaining games in the eliminations and in the playoffs, as Rondae is nursing a neck injury.

“We’re putting in Rahlir, his brother. He’s very fragile, and he cannot turn his neck, and I talked to the doctor, na ‘yung mga injury na may spinal cord na ganun,” Lastimosa said.

“You don’t take that lightly because, even if feeling niya walang pain, it’s a physical game,” he said.

“He could get jarred again and he reinjured that neck again. We’re going the conservative way and actually protecting Rondae’s career,” he added.

Rondae suffered a neck injury during the fourth quarter of the Tropang Giga’s game against the Taipei Fubon in the East Asia Super League (EASL) in Laguna’s Santa Rosa City last week.

The injury of Rondae forced the Tropang Giga to play with an all-Filipino lineup during their 86-78 defeat to the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Christmas Day.

If Rondae was replaced by Rahlir, he would no longer be eligible to go back to the conference as PBA rules indicate that a reinforcement is only allowed to be replaced once.

Rondae was the Tropang Giga’s original choice for the tilt, but the team had to play with Quincy Miller in the season opener against the Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots as the former, at that time, was still unfit to play due to gastroenteritis.

Lastimosa also disclosed that Rondae is also doubtful to see action in their EASL home game against Rhenz Abando and Anyang Jung Kwan Jang at the PhilSports Arena on January 24.

“Even the January 24 na EASL game namin, baka hindi pa sigurado si Rondae [na] makabalik eh,” Lastimosa said.

“So we might have to play with one import,” he added. /ASC, WDJ