The Meralco Bolts will feature Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Justin Brownlee, both on loan from TNT and Ginebra, respectively, for their run in the 2025-26 EASL season.
No one probably saw rivals Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Justin Brownlee teaming up after intense battles in the PBA, notably in two Finals.
That’s why when news broke out that Hollis-Jefferson and Brownlee are joining the Meralco Bolts for the East Asia Super League , not a few were surprised.
[RELATED STORY: Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Justin Brownlee, Ismael Romero reinforce Meralco in EASL season]
It’s the good kind of surprise, of course.
Now, everyone’s eager to see how the RHJ-JB tandem will fare in the EASL where the Bolts are the lone Philippine representative for the 2025-26 season.
Count Meralco consultant Nenad Vucinic among them.
“We’re fortunate Talk ’N Text and Ginebra are gonna let us borrow their players, Rondae and JB,” said Vucinic, whose team will also be bolstered by Puerto Rico national team member Ismael Romero.
But as thrilled as he is with this addition, what worries Vucinic now is the lack of time to prepare with the beloved TNT and Ginebra imports.
“The problem is they’re coming late to our preparation. We have first two games, we’re playing two top teams away in Japan and Taiwan,” he said.
Meralco will visit Okinawa where the Bolts will take on Japan B.LEAGUE powerhouse Ryukyu Golden Kings on October 22.
The Bolts will then take on P.LEAGUE+ champion Taoyuan Pilots also on the road on November 2.
Still, the Serbian mentor is confident that Hollis-Jefferson and Brownlee can fully integrate themselves with Meralco, given their respective caliber.
“Let’s see how we gel, and hopefully they’re gonna be in training and they won’t need much time to get form,” he said.
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Like most sportswriters, Jan Ballesteros once dreamed of becoming a professional hooper. But he learned the hard way that it’s not for everyone.
He continues to be involved in the sport he loves, but this time as a member of the PBA Press Corps. Aside from primarily covering the PBA, he is also assigned to cover Gilas Pilipinas.