What Justin Brownlee’s Filipino citizenship means for Gilas Pilipinas

Justin Brownlee, one of the most productive imports to play in the Philippine Basketball Association, is finally a citizen of the Philippines thanks to Republic Act 11937 which was signed into law there.

The development is a quick resolution to the second bid which was due to take place in September last year.

Who is Justin Brownlee?

Justin Donta Brownlee is a 6-foot-6 American forward who serves as a resident import for Barangay Ginebra, arguably the most popular club in the PBA.

A native of Tifton, Georgia, Brownlee—who went undrafted in the 2011 NBA draft—has been playing professionally for nearly 12 years now. He has made stops in Mexico, France, Lebanon on top of multiple assignments in the Philippines.

He is famous in the Philippines for his buzzer-beating triple in Game 6 of the 2016 Governors’ Cup Final that gave Barangay Ginebra the championship over Meralco. He also previously powered Philippine club San Miguel Alab Pilipinas and Mighty Sports Philippines.

Since his title-winning shot, Brownlee has blossomed into a five-time PBA champion and three-time Best Import awardee. A tireless player on the field and a great teammate, Brownlee also enjoys the Gin Kings fandom and opposing PBA team.

What does Brownlee’s naturalization mean for Gilas Pilipinas

Brownlee’s naturalization is a result of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas’ plan to increase the pool of players to fill special slots for each national team in the Fiba tournament.

The role was eventually played by Jordan Clarkson, a Filipino-American who hails from the city of Bacolor in Pampanga. The NBA star from the Utah Jazz can only serve Gilas Pilipinas as a naturalization reinforcement for the Fiba tournament because he only secured a Philippine passport after he turned 16, which has exceeded the threshold of the world basketball body.

The idea is to have some naturalized players for Gilas so that they are not forced to settle for talent if candidates are not available due to prior commitments.

The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas has begun eyeing Brownlee as the man to fill Gilas’ naturalized slot this February when Gilas Pilipinas hosts Lebanon and Jordan for the sixth and final window of the Fiba World Cup Asian Qualifiers, which the home leaders are using to prepare. for a global show scheduled for August.

Between February and the World Cup, Gilas Pilipinas is also scheduled to participate in the Asian Games in Cambodia in May—where Brownlee is also slated to play. Pocket tournaments and training camps in the United States and Europe have also been lined up for the national team.

other naturalized players

Brownlee will join Clarkson and Ange Kouame in the Gilas Pilipinas “pool” of naturalized players.

Kouame recently led Ateneo to reclaim the men’s basketball title in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) in its final year in the league. He was granted Philippine citizenship in May 2021 after President Rodrigo Duterte signed the naturalization into law

The Ivory Coast native then suited up for several Fiba tournaments—including the 2023 Asian World Cup Qualifiers—before suffering a meniscal and partial ACL sprain in June and missing several games.

Kouame, 25, has announced that he plans to play abroad. Ateneo coach Tab Baldwin said the 6-foot-10 big man has offers to strut his stuff in Europe and Japan. But the most important thing for Kouame is to repair the damaged knee ligament.

Before Kouame, Gilas had Andray Blatche (naturalized in 2014) and Marcus Douthit (2011). Both, however, are now past their prime.

With Clarkson likely to be a shoo-in for the Fiba World Cup squad, Kouame said he is ready to serve his country if needed.

Gilas Philippines debut

With the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals between Barangay Ginebra and the visiting Bay Area team dragging to Game 7, the timeline for Brownlee’s debut with the national team for the February window seems very early.

But Brownlee’s plan was somehow logical.

In the last campaign, Gilas Pilipinas had to turn to the pros to bolt the line up. Some of them are actually Brownlee’s teammates in Ginebra: PBA Most Valuable Player Scottie Thompson, two-way forward Jamie Malonzo, and high-leaping veteran who has played in two World Cups, Japeth Aguilar.

Also overcoming adjustment problems with the national team is Gin Kings mentor Tim Cone who is the deputy national coach Chot Reyes.

If anything, Brownlee will be in peak condition when he plays for Gilas in February, as he tests in the best-of-seven championship series against the Dragons.

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