Brownlee relishes Ginebra’s 2016 triumph

Justin Brownlee remains thankful for former Barangay Ginebra stars Mark Caguioa and Jayjay Helterbrand for influencing his comeback in Game 4 of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Commissioner’s Cup finals.

Brownlee, who dropped a double-double of 23 points and 12 rebounds against the TNT Tropang Giga last Friday despite a dislocated thumb, said he was inspired by Caguioa and Helterbrand back in 2016 when they won the Governors’ Cup against the Meralco Bolts.

Helterbrand and Caguioa, known as “The Fast and the Furious,” won six PBA titles with the Kings and were the faces of the franchise in the 2000s and 2010s.

“I got to understand the never-say-die mentality through JayJay and Mark,” Brownlee said.

“My first stint here in 2016, it was a moment in the finals. We were playing against Meralco.”

The Governors’ Cup triumph in 2016 paved the way for Brownlee’s career to flourish.

The 36-year-old St. John alumnus won six more PBA titles and became a naturalized player for Gilas Pilipinas.

Together with head coach Tim Cone, Brownlee led an all-PBA squad to the 19th Asian Games gold medal in Hangzhou, China.

While Cone is impressed that Brownlee can play for the remainder of this best-of-seven championship series, he is still cautious to make sure he doesn’t hurt himself further.