TNT Tropang Giga's PBA title defense is in jeopardy after Rondae Hollis-Jefferson suffered a freak injury while playing for Meralco in the East Asia Super League. Hollis-Jefferson, who signed a one-year contract with TNT in April, ruptured his Achilles tendon in a game against the Macau Black Bears. The injury is a major blow to TNT's chances of defending their Governors' Cup and Commissioner's Cup titles. Hollis-Jefferson is a key player for TNT and his absence will be felt deeply. He is a three-time Best Import of the Conference awardee and a three-time PBA champion. Off the court, Hollis-Jefferson is an upstanding citizen who spreads the gospel of basketball in the provinces in the Philippines. TNT's temporary loss is also ours. Get well soon, RHJ. The Tropang Giga can pluck another high-priced import, but it would be extremely challenging to replicate the chemistry Hollis-Jefferson has built with his teammates since 2023. Hollis-Jefferson's injury is a tragedy, but it was also avoidable. He was allowed to suit up with Meralco despite having a contract with TNT. The management of TNT and Meralco made a request to allow Hollis-Jefferson to play for Meralco, citing a corporate sibling relationship. The good deed did not do them any good. Hollis-Jefferson's contract is worth at least $50,000 a month, but the pain, trauma, fear, and anxiety of navigating this horror injury are unquantifiable. With an excellent orthopedic surgeon planned to operate on him in New York, Hollis-Jefferson should be nursed back to health within 12 months. However, he will be 31 next December, and it is uncertain whether he will still be good enough to resume his duties at TNT and in Jordan post-surgery.