'Special' player Justin Brownlee honored and excited to represent Philippines, says Tim Cone

What else could you ask from Justin Brownlee?

Brownlee, now a six-time PBA champion after winning the Commissioner's Cup title against the Bay Area Dragons on Sunday, tallied 34 points, 12 assists, and eight rebounds to give Ginebra its 15th title.

And for head coach Tim Cone, there is still much more waiting for the Ginebra import, especially with his new role as naturalized player for the Philippine men's national basketball team.

"The journey's still ongoing for Justin. This is not the end for him," Cone said in the post-game conference.

Cone shared that the GInebra import is excited about representing and playing for the country and this is just another beginning for the newly naturalized Filipino.

"Justin's just so happy and honored for the opportunity to represent the country and to play," said the champion coach.

"To me, this is not the end for him. The win tonight is just the beginning for him. He's got a whole new career ahead of him playing for the national team."

For Cone, Brownlee being a part of the national team is something special.

"I think that's so special because he's a special guy. He deserves it," said Cone.

"He's not only a great player, he's gonna represent the Philippines really well with the way he carries himself, with the way he plays the game, with the way he acts with his teammates and the way he competes with the other team."

Brownlee's citizenship was granted to him on January 12 as President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, Jr. signed Republic Act 11937. A day after the championship, Bronwlee took his oath of allegiance to the Philippines in the Senate.

—JMB, GMA Integrated News