Hollis-Jefferson brothers fulfill childhood dream of playing pro basketball together

Rahlir and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson had a pact, though really it was more of a dream. The goal was something any basketball-playing siblings would fantasize about: They wanted to play in the NBA together. At the very least, their goal growing up in Chester was to play professional basketball on the same team.

They were separated by just enough grades in school that playing together in anything but recreational hoops was impossible for most of their lives. Rahlir graduated from Chester High in 2009 before starring at Temple. Rondae entered high school the next year and eventually played two seasons at Arizona before entering the NBA draft and becoming the 23rd overall pick in 2015.

Their paths were on different trajectories. The pact was a pipe dream.

By the time Rondae was drafted, Rahlir had played in Luxembourg and also with the 76ers’ G League (then D League) affiliate in Delaware, and was on his way to playing in Canada. Rondae was younger and more talented, and the NBA was his calling. He played four seasons with the Brooklyn Nets, one in Toronto, and part of another with the Portland Trail Blazers.

But after the 2021 season, Rondae’s NBA options were limited, and, like his older brother, international basketball was up next. The dream now less fantasy, more realistic.

Rondae played in Turkey in 2021 while Rahlir was in his second stint in Finland. The younger Hollis-Jefferson then had spells in Puerto Rico and South Korea before landing with the Philippines’ TNT Tropang Giga last year. There, he became a star, averaging 30.4 points in 16 games while leading his team to the PBA Governors’ Cup.

The 2023-24 season brought the Hollis-Jefferson brothers their most realistic chance to make their dream happen. TNT’s other American import, Quincy Miller, was heading to Japan, and there was a spot open. Rondae campaigned for TNT to sign Rahlir from his team in Hungary. The club agreed, and a deal was reached.

Rahlir caught a flight from Budapest to Dubai and then to Manila. On Dec. 20, in an East Asia Super League game, the brothers’ wish came true. It was far from the NBA, far from Chester, but it was perfect in its own way.

The brothers sent a link back home to family and friends so they could watch TNT Tropang Giga take on the Taipei Fubon Braves of the Taiwanese professional league. Rylanda Hollis, the single mother who raised the brothers in Chester, set an early alarm and brushed her teeth. Then she watched as her boys combined for 57 of TNT’s 80 points in an 80-69 win. Rondae led all scorers with 35 points and added 11 rebounds, five assists, and three steals. Rahlir had 22 points, nine rebounds, four assists, and four steals.

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“I was happy for both of them because their dream came true,” Hollis said. “I just couldn’t stop smiling.

“I loved their chemistry. I was very proud of them as men. I’m just a happy mom.”

That chemistry showed in one sequence. Rondae had the ball on the right wing and passed it to Rahlir at the top of the key before quickly cutting toward the basket. The ball was barely in Rahlir’s hands before it was heading back to his younger brother, who skied in the air for a one-handed slam.

“For it to come together, maybe not in the NBA, but overseas, somewhere in the world, at a pretty high level, it was special for us,” Rahlir said. “We just worked toward it for a long time. It finally happened.”

“I knew they would play somewhere,” Hollis said. “God gave them what they were both destined to have. They both took different journeys.”

Near the end of the game, though, they all got another reminder about how little is in their control. The brothers had waited their whole lives to play on the same team — Rahlir for 32 years, and Rondae for 29 — and with time winding down on the clock in their first professional game together, Rondae took a hard fall and injured his neck. He was briefly hospitalized and has yet to return to the court for TNT.

“It was a freak accident,” Rahlir said.

With Rondae out, Rahlir has excelled. He scored 50 points for the first time in his professional career in a recent game.

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It has been, as his mother said, a long journey. Rahlir graduated from Temple in 2013 and has been on the road for most of the last 10 years. He has a wife and is a father, and he’s 13 hours ahead of his family and goes months without seeing them.

“It takes a toll emotionally, but it’s a part of the pros and cons of being a professional athlete who travels,” he said.

“It’s hard, but I’m happy that they’re doing what they love and it’s not like I can’t FaceTime them or call and talk to them,” Hollis said.

During this part of Rahlir’s career, which is probably nearing its sunset, he has the comfort of having his brother close ... when he wants to be with him. Winning a Governor’s Cup and playing like Rondae did comes with some fame. Rondae is now a star in Manila. Rahlir, meanwhile, likened himself to John Stockton on the famed Dream Teams. Rondae gets mobbed by fans, but Rahlir ”can walk about like a normal citizen with no fame,” he said.

Rondae is working his way back to the court, but he was back in the headlines in Manila last week. Rahlir was called for a technical foul late in the game. Near the opposing team’s bench, there was a commotion, and Rondae was in the middle of it, arguing with a referee and TNT’s opponents.

“At first, I didn’t even know what was going on, but when I turned around and saw him over there, I did go to the sideline to make sure nothing too crazy was happening,” Rahlir said. “As long as he was safe, that was my main priority.”

That part will never change. From Chester to Finland to Hungary to Manila, Rahlir Hollis-Jefferson will always be a big brother.