MANILA – Gilas Pilipinas naturalized player Justin Brownlee is set to take his talents to Indonesia as he joins the Pelita Jaya squad in the 2024 Indonesian Basketball League (IBL).
The Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings resident import formalized his deal with Pelita Jaya on Wednesday, making him the third PBA import in the squad aside from Thomas Robinson and KJ McDaniels.
The 6-foot-6 Brownlee c
“It was (Gin Kings and Gilas Pilipinas head) coach Tim (Cone) pushing me to play (abroad while the national team is on a break) so I’d stay in condition,” the 35-year-old Brownlee said.
Gilas Pilipinas will take a long break before reconvening days in late June for the 2024 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament while the PBA is now staging the All-Filipino Conference.
“There’s offers [for him] to go play overseas since it’s All-Filipino (in the PBA) and we’re perfectly fine with that,” Cone said in a separate interview. “We’re all for him going out and staying in shape.”
“If he goes and play somewhere, he’ll always be available for the window because he’s a naturalized player so if he goes and plays, he’s got a contract in June and July and August, he’ll be able to come back and join us for the window,” he added.
This will be Brownlee’s first professional basketball stint since coming back from a three-month suspension due to a doping violation he committed during the 19th Asian Games.
This also marks another stint in Asia for the naturalized Filipino after the Philippines, Lebanon, and UAE. He won championships in all of those stops.
Pelita Jaya currently ranks fifth in the ongoing Indonesian league with a 7-1 win-loss record./PN
