Justin Brownlee: The "Never Say Die" Hero of Philippine Basketball

Justin Brownlee: The "Never Say Die" Hero of Philippine Basketball | Daily Tribune

Justin Brownlee gave yet another heroic performance when he dropped a double-double to lead Barangay Ginebra to a 95-78 win over TNT Tropang Giga in Game 4 of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Commissioner’s Cup best-of-seven finals series late Friday.

But it wasn’t the glowing numbers of 23 points and 12 rebounds that made Brownlee’s night truly remarkable. It was the fact that he played through an injury — a dislocated finger that was so bad it required immediate medical attention after he sustained it while diving for a loose ball in Game 3.

Ginebra coach Tim Cone described Brownlee’s thumb as something that “will fall out of the joint” once the tape is removed. That was the kind of pain Brownlee played through to give Ginebra a chance to avoid a 1-2 series deficit that could completely swing the momentum to KaTropa’s favor.

Playing through pain is nothing new to Brownlee.

During the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou in 2023, Brownlee brushed off a foot injury to lead Gilas Pilipinas to a dramatic victory over powerhouse China. A couple of nights later, he was back on the warpath to help the Filipinos beat Jordan which had Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, now with Tropang Giga, to clinch the Philippines’ first gold medal in men’s basketball since 1962.

Brownlee’s obsession with winning is one of a kind, similar to the grit and fierce determination displayed by Robert Jaworksi at the peak of his PBA career.

Well, on the surface Jaworski may have seemed an average player. Yes, he may have been quite tall for a point guard at 6-foot-1 and bulky enough to bang bodies with bigger players, but it wasn’t his physicality that made him a household name — it was his heart.

Jaworski’s big fighting heart was on full display when Ginebra played Northern Consolidated Cement (NCC) in 1985. Jaworksi was rushed to Medical City after he suffered a busted lip from an inadvertent elbow by NCC import Jeff Moore. He was advised to take it easy after receiving nine stitches to close the gash and stop the bleeding.

But Jaworski proved that his fighting heart was bigger than his wound. With a plastered lip, he marched back to action in the second half and rallied Ginebra to a spirited comeback to seal one of the greatest moments in Philippine basketball history that gave birth to the “never say die” mantra.

Now 79, Jaworski is no longer in the best of health. But he was able to pass the torch to future generations of Ginebra players who play hard no matter the odds against them.

Remember when Rudy Distrito scored a tough fall-away jumper off Benjie Paras to help Ginebra score a 104-102 win over Shell Rimula X in the First Conference Finals of 1991? How about when Bal David reduced Mobiline big man Asi Taulava into a huge mass of tears when he knocked down a jumper at the buzzer to complete their rally to the All-Filipino quarterfinals in 1999? Even Scottie Thompson also needs special mention as his big fighting heart enables him to snare those rebounds over taller, heftier players.

Truly, Brownlee is one of a kind. While other foreign players act as if they are God’s gift to Philippine basketball, dating women and collecting their pay while counting the days before their next international assignment under the Boracay sun, Brownlee works his ass off to stay on top of the game and give Filipinos the basketball entertainment they truly deserve.

The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas really did a marvelous job in nominating him to become a naturalized Filipino. He may have been born and raised in the United States but his passion, dedication and unwavering commitment are something that only homegrown Filipinos are expected to possess.

We are lucky to be watching a player like Brownlee in his prime. In this time and age when highlight reels weigh more than actual victories, it’s really difficult to find somebody who will work hard and sacrifice their body to emerge victorious.

We hope there will be more Justin Brownlees to come. A player like him does not just save his team — he restores the pride, glory and win-first mentality of Philippine basketball.