The entire Barangay Ginebra is holding its collective breath, awaiting the diagnosis of Justin Brownlee.
With 6:54 left in the third quarter of Game 3 of the 2025 PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals, Brownlee — who had been having an impressive game with 19 points on an efficient 7-of-12 shooting, six assists, and four rebounds — was involved in a freak accident.
During the play, the naturalized Filipino went after a loose ball, but his shooting hand slammed the hardcourt. Brownlee grimaced in pain, was immediately subbed out, and retreated to the locker room at the Philsports Arena.
#WATCH: Justin Brownlee is taken out of the Philsports Arena and into an ambulance for a hospital checkup on his hand injury 🏀
📹 @justinebacnis /Tiebreaker Times#PBA2025 pic.twitter.com/mUcBvbenn2
— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) March 19, 2025
“Hindi ko talaga nakita kung paano nasaktan eh. Probably sa floor. I really don’t know. Pero he was in pain. In-attend-an naman kaagad siya ng doctors and PTs,” shared Ginebra deputy coach Richard Del Rosario.
Late in the fourth quarter, Brownlee was rushed to the nearest hospital for immediate treatment.
Although Ginebra kept pace with TNT, the Tropang Giga escaped with an 87-85 win, taking the series lead. Still, Brownlee’s status remains the main concern for the Kings.
“Wala pa. So hintay lang natin kung anong magiging sasabihin ng mga doctors. Hoping for the best. Let’s see. We’ll probably have a prospective tomorrow kung anong mangyayari,” said Del Rosario.
“We’re still hoping for the best. If it’s dislocated, then hopefully sana walang bali. But again, it’s hard to speculate now kasi wala pa talagang… Kakapunta pa lang sa kaniya doon sa hospital. We just have to wait.”
League rules state that Ginebra can immediately tap a new import if it wishes, but time is of the essence. Game 4 is scheduled for Friday at the Ynares Center, with Game 5 on Sunday at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
That is why Del Rosario and Ginebra are hopeful that the injury is not serious.
“Well, definitely, it’s a big concern. Si Justin, he provides a lot of stuff for us, not only on offense but also on defense. A part of our system revolves around Justin. But again, we had a taste of playing without him here in the second half, but it’s going to be tougher because Talk N Text will also adjust. But we don’t know if Justin’s going to play on Sunday or not,” said Del Rosario.
“We’re still hoping that he can play. Warrior naman to si Justin, basta kaya niya, kaunting sakit lang yan, maglalaro yan. We’re just waiting and hopefully, we get good news.”
