Brooklyn Nets small forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson realized that on his rookie salary of $1.3 million, living in New York City wouldn’t be easy. So instead of balling out and living a life of luxury, Hollis-Jefferson has cut down on his living expenses by living in New Jersey with two roommates: his brother, Rahlir Hollis-Jefferson, and a friend.
Even though the Hollis-Jefferson brothers are willing to make sacrifices for themselves, there’s one person in their lives for whom they’ve always wanted to provide a home. On Friday the Nets player and his brother surprised their mother, Rylanda Hollis, with a new house in Texas for her birthday.
For the New York Post, Hollis-Jefferson wrote:
She said it was her best birthday ever. That’s huge for me and my brother, and my uncle, who is like a brother to us. … That’s big in our eyes, to be able to do that. Being able to change your mom’s life, to be able to put her in a comfortable situation. … It makes that feeling in your heart go to ease.
Instead of worrying about where your mom is going, what she’s doing, it puts you at ease knowing she has a place of her own, and that she has somewhere to lay her head at night. It’s pretty special.
The special moment was all caught on video, so pull out the tissues, because it’s definitely a tearjerker.