By REYNALD MAGALLON
Add that to the growing legend of Justin Brownlee in Philippine basketball.
The veteran wingman once again carried Gilas Pilipinas on his broad shoulders and helped the Nationals squeeze past a vastly improved Saudi Arabia team, 95-88, in overtime to stay alive in the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup in Jeddah.
Channeling the same clutch shot-making ability that made him widely regarded as the greatest import in all of Philippine basketball, Brownlee nailed the game-tying triple with 3.7 seconds left in regulation to send the game to the overtime.
The King Abdullah Sports City, which somehow turned into a Gilas homecourt, celebrated in frenzy and even chanted Brownlee’s name at the end of the contest.
The Filipinos in attendance, and probably even the sleep-deprived Gilas fans who stayed up late to watch the game, were still left in awe by Brownlee – as if they have never seen the 37-year-old do it time and again not only for Gilas but also for Barangay Ginebra in the PBA.
Brownlee, who finished with 29 points – including six during a last ditch 8-2 run for Gilas to tie the game at 79-all at the end of the fourth quarter, explained that he simply tried to live in the moment when given such opportunities to win the game for Gilas.
“I think these are the moments every player dreams of – when the game is tight, coming down wire to wire, and the atmosphere like the Saudi had today,” said Brownlee during the post-game press conference.
“I can’t really say it’s clutch genes or something that I developed. I just think when you see the opportunity as a player, you just got to go after it,” he added.
And that is what Brownlee has been doing all throughout his career in the Philippines.
For Ginebra, when he ended an eight-year drought for the Kings in the PBA following a buzzer-beating triple in Game 6. And for Gilas, when he nailed back-to-back triples to carry the Nationals past China in the semifinals of the 2023 Asian Games.
For Brownlee, courage is all you need to perform in those kinds of situations.
“It doesn’t always work in your favor. Obviously, you can’t make every shot or make the best out of every moment, but you just got to have courage and take those opportunities. I’m just very blessed to be in the opportunity to be able to hit those shots,” said Brownlee.
“I got to thank my teammates. They got a lot of confidence in me. They inspired me to take those and make those shots.”
Up next for Brownlee and Gilas is the two-time defending champion Australia in the semifinals. The Boomers have been undefeated with a 15-0 record ever since joining the continental tiff in 2017.
