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Gilas Pilipinas star Justin Brownlee. Photo from FIBA. 

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Justin Brownlee 07062024

Romwel Anzures

ABS-CBN News

<div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0);min-height:13.8px"><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1720236859964IMG_4362.jpeg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Gilas Pilipinas in the 2024 FIBA Olympic Qualifiers. Photo from FIBA."/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Gilas Pilipinas in the 2024 FIBA Olympic Qualifiers. <em>Photo from FIBA.</em></span></span></span><span></span><span></span></div><p>Gilas Pilipinas will continue with their stint in the 2024 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament tonight against Brazil in the semifinals.</p><p>The Brazilians, who were able to go out as the top seed in Group B, will be facing the No.2 seed Philippines from Group A, and the 12th best basketball team in the world is expected to flex its NBA player-laden roster yet again as they look to oust Gilas for a spot in the finals.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/2024/7/5/mission-paris-what-gilas-pilipinas-needs-to-overcome-to-book-elusive-olympic-ticket-1425">Mission Paris: What Gilas Pilipinas needs to overcome to book elusive Olympic ticket</a></div><p>The Tim Cone-mentored squad will bank on -- as always -- on their grit, grind, and the hopes of a nation that is hungry to see their squad finally return to the Olympic Games.</p><p>And not to forget, much-loved naturalized player Justin Brownlee.</p><div><span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0);min-height:13.8px"><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1720236925808IMG_4359.jpeg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Gilas Pilipinas star Justin Brownlee. Photo from FIBA. "/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Gilas Pilipinas star Justin Brownlee. <em>Photo from FIBA. </em></span></span></span></div><p>Gilas, unlike Brazil, has no player on their team with NBA experience aside from the brief stint of Kai Sotto in the Summer League last year.</p><p>But Cone believes that it should not have been the case. </p><p>&quot;I have said so much about this guy in so many interviews through the last eight years, and I always embarrass him. He&#x27;s blushing, you don&#x27;t know it, but he&#x27;s blushing,&quot; said Cone of Brownlee after the Nationals advanced to the semifinals following their game against Georgia last Thursday. </p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/2024/7/3/gilas-stuns-world-no-6-latvia-inches-closer-to-oqt-semis-134">READ: Brownlee the hero as Gilas stuns world No. 6 Latvia, inches closer to OQT semis</a></div><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/2024/7/4/latvia-coach-banchi-hails-gilas-height-and-defense-cone-s-triangle-1725">READ: Latvia coach Banchi hails Gilas&#x27; height and defense, Cone&#x27;s Triangle</a></div><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/2024/7/4/cone-after-gilas-historic-oqt-triumph-over-latvia-we-re-not-here-just-to-win-one-game-1320">READ: Cone after Gilas&#x27; historic OQT triumph over Latvia: &#x27;We&#x27;re not here just to win one game&#x27;</a></div><p>&quot;He&#x27;s dominant there, and he&#x27;s always engaged. When he&#x27;s aggressive, there&#x27;s just nobody, nobody better than him. Somebody, I&#x27;ve said this before, somebody in the NBA missed out on this guy. Somebody in the NBA missed out. They weren&#x27;t on the ball. They should&#x27;ve seen this guy. He never should&#x27;ve been in the Philippines. He should be in the NBA,&quot; added Cone.</p><p>Brownlee, who won the first of his six PBA championships with a buzzer-beating trey against the Meralco Bolts in 2016, has been a winner throughout his career. Aside from the Philippines, he has also collected titles in the ASEAN Basketball League and in Lebanon.</p><p>He was even instrumental in Gilas&#x27; historic gold-medal finish in last year&#x27;s Asian Games, and these, according to Cone, are a testament to the talent and greatness of the 6-foot-6 star. </p><div><span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0);min-height:13.8px"><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1720236988887IMG_4364.webp" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Gilas Pilipinas head coach Tim Cone. Photo from FIBA. "/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Gilas Pilipinas head coach Tim Cone. <em>Photo from FIBA. </em></span></span></span></div><p>&quot;He&#x27;s a big-moment guy. He plays huge in big moments, and he&#x27;s proven that over and over again. What he&#x27;s doing here in this tournament is no surprise whatsoever to what we&#x27;ve seen throughout his career in the Philippines,&quot; added Cone, who has coached Brownlee throughout his stint in the PBA.</p><p>The resident Ginebra import continued his stellar play in the OQT and has been averaging 27.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, 8.5 assists, a steal, and half a block in two games. </p><p>He has since been crowned as the Philippines&#x27; Michael Jordan by Sotto, the national team&#x27;s 7-foot-3 center.</p><p>&quot;The world doesn&#x27;t really know much about Justin Brownlee, but for me, he&#x27;s the Michael Jordan of Philippine basketball. That&#x27;s what we expect him to do and that&#x27;s what he does every night,&quot; said Sotto.</p><p>Despite the lavish praise he has received in the past week, Brownlee has been his trademark humble self.</p><div><span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0);min-height:13.8px"><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1720237024367IMG_4358.webp" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Gilas Pilipinas star Justin Brownlee. Photo from FIBA. "/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Gilas Pilipinas star Justin Brownlee. <em id="isPasted">Photo from FIBA. </em></span></span></span></div><p>&quot;I definitely appreciate the compliment, [but] I would be nothing without my teammates,&quot; said Brownlee.</p><p>&quot;A famous quote that Coach Tim always tells the Ginebra guys and now on the Gilas team is: &#x27;One is too small of a number to achieve greatness.&#x27; So I just try to go by that. I try to get the best out of the team, and try to put my best for the team,&quot; he emphasized.</p><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong></div><div><ivs-player data-ivs-key="e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603" data-ivs-spid="3001339" data-ivs-vid="3061287"></ivs-player></div><script src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/js/loader.js"></script>

<p>Tim Cone shares why Justin Brownlee should’ve been in the NBA while Kai Sotto crowned him as the Philippines’ Michael Jordan, but the Gilas star remained humbled amid the praises.</p>

Tim Cone shares why Justin Brownlee should’ve been in the NBA while Kai Sotto crowned him as the Philippines’ Michael Jordan, but the Gilas star remained humbled amid the praises.

'MJ of the Philippines': Justin Brownlee downplays praise from Tim Cone, Kai Sotto

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'MJ of the Philippines': Justin Brownlee downplays praise from Tim Cone, Kai Sotto

Romwel Anzures,

ABS-CBN News

Published July 06, 2024 12:07 PM PHT

Read More:

Basketball

ABSSports

2024 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament

Justin Brownlee

Gilas Pilipinas

Kai Sotto

Michael Jordan

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