MANILA, July 26 ------ With the recent decision of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) to officially field in Jordan Clarkson as Gilas Pilipinas’ naturalized reinforcement for the 2023 FIBA World Cup, it will mean that Justin Brownlee will be supporting from the sidelines instead of suiting up for the national team. But Brownlee will still be donning the national team colors soon as he is set play for the Philippines at the Asian Games in September as per a report by Quinito Henson.
Still, the resident import of Barangay Ginebra vowed to be among the team’s biggest supporters as the squad takes the World Cup stage. “For the World Cup, I know I can’t participate in the games but I’ll be there in every game and root for the team,” said Brownlee, who will be the team’s 13th man. He also expressed how grateful he is for having the opportunity to aid the team during their build-up for the August games, even joining the team in their training camp in Estonia. “I just wanna say thank you to all the guys for the experiences and everything,” said the multiple-time PBAchampion. “Just being able to represent the Philippines is a tremendous honor. I received a lot of love from everybody here.”
Brownlee previously suited up for the country during the February 2023 window of the World Cupqualifiers, putting up averages of 29.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and a steal per game in a pair of matches, and it is just among the many experiences that the former PBA Best Import of the Conference has with Gilas that he cherishes. “It’s just been an honor to represent the Philippines and go out there and give them my all, I can’t wait to be there and watch the games.” he said.
Gilas will be continuing its training camp for the World Cup as it heads for China on August 2-5 where it faces Iran, Lebanon and Senegal in a pocket tournament. But it will not be until August 6 when Clarkson will be able to join the Filipino hoopers.
Source: news.abs-cbn.com