BOCAUE – Justin Brownlee further cemented his place in the PBA’s pantheon of all-time great imports after steering Ginebra to the 2022-23 Commissioner’s Cup championship at the expense of Bay Area, Sunday night.
The 34-year-old has won his sixth title, tying another Tim Cone disciple in Sean Chambers for the most number of league titles for reinforcements.
But his latest score ranks as the most special for the three-time Best Import, for the Kings accomplished as much with ‘all Filipinos.’
“Man, it makes it even more special. We played with all Filipinos tonight, for the first time since I’ve been here,” he told reporters moments after the 114-99 victory at the Philippine Arena here.
“So, that was very special.”
During this week, Brownlee officially became a Filipino after President Bongbong Marcos signed into law Republic Act No. 11937.
It sure brought excitement not only to the Barangay but for the rest of the country, too, as his long-awaited stint with Gilas Pilipinas particularly in the FIBA World Cup 2023 Asian Qualifiers’ sixth window next month could finally happen.
“All my teammates definitely congratulated me and they were telling me how proud they are of me becoming a Filipino. It was very special,” said Brownlee, who finished with 34 points, eight assists, and 12 rebounds.
A Pinoy at heart even before being naturalized, Brownlee dedicated the championship to the people he can now call ‘kababayan.’
“And just to top it off with a win, you know, this win is not only for Ginebra, but this is also for the whole country,” said the 11-year pro out of St. John’s.
“We played an international team, and we gotta give a lot of credit to Bay Area. They came out and played tough. They were coached very well, and, yeah, I’m just happy that we got away with a win tonight,” he added.
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The second game of each PBA gameday is live-streamed on SMART Sports.
