Portland Blazers’ Rondae Hollis-Jefferson is using all his NBA experience to help lead team Jodan in the FIBA World Cup. Jordan is currently in third place in Group A with a 1-1 score. Rondae is having a breakout performance in the tournament so far. In his first game against New Zealand, he scored 39 points in an overtime loss. He had a 24-point game against Greece. He has recently been in the spotlight by basketball fans for his striking resemblance to Kobe Bryant. Not just in his physical resemblance, but also in the gameplay style.

Just before going head-to-head with the team US in the third match, he spills the beans on his Serbian friend, telling him to take a “DNA test”.

Hollis-Jefferson channels his inner Kobe

Rondae has adopted a Kobe-like approach to the game, playing with relentless intensity and a killer instinct. He has also taken to wearing the number 24, which was Bryant’s jersey number. Rondae has mimicked everything from Bryant’s footwork to his free throw routine to his poses after big shots. He has been playing spectacularly in this Bryant mold and has been averaging 31.5 points, 9 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game.

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In his 39-point game against New Zealand, he made a crucial four-point score in overtime that helped Jordan win the game by just 2 points. Kobe enough? No. After the game, Rondae said that he felt Bryant was with him in that play. “On that four-point play, I felt like he was with me at that moment,” Hollis-Jefferson said. “I just wanted to make him proud.”

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Fans have been mesmerized by his performance and have even chanted “Kobe” during his games.

The DNA Test

Hollis-Jefferson revealed that his good friend Shabazz Napier, who plays for Serbia, keeps telling him to take a DNA test because “Kobe is my cousin and I didn’t know it”. He continues, “But on this 3+1 (4-point game) I felt that he was with me at that moment.”

He attributes these changes in his game to the confidence and freedom given to him by his first coach, Eddie Casita, not in Puerto Rico. Rondae recalls when he asked Kobe for his advice back in 2016, he was told to focus on his jump shot, and “ever since then, I’ve been working on my midrange and get better.” he says.

Hollis-Jefferson said that he felt like Bryant was with him during the four-point play. He said that it’s an honor for people to compare him to Kobe, but at the end of the day, “Kobe is Kobe and I am Rondae.”

Watch This Story: What Happened The Last Time Team USA Faced New Zealand At The FIBA World Cup?