Justin Brownlee cleared to play for Gilas Pilipinas

The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas revealed that Justin Brownlee will be eligible to participate in the first set of games for the Gilas Pilipinas Men’s team in the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers.

FIBA has issued a Notice of Charge to Brownlee, imposing a three-month period of ineligibility due to a violation of the anti-doping rule that took place during the 19th Asian Games.

“We’re elated that the consequences FIBA issued does not prevent Justin Brownlee to play for Gilas in the upcoming window. Having him as our naturalized player alongside some of our locals that he has already played with before will be beneficial to the squad,” said SBP President Al Panlilio.

Brownlee will be joining forces with his Brgy. Ginebra teammates, Scottie Thompson and Jamie Malonzo, as they represent the national team under the guidance of head coach Tim Cone and team manager Richard Del Rosario.

Completing the 12-man roster are Chris Newsome, Calvin Oftana, CJ Perez, June Mar Fajardo, Dwight Ramos, AJ Edu, Carl Tamayo, Kai Sotto, and Kevin Quiambao.

“Justin Brownlee is a big part of the team and the program moving forward and having him means we can hit the ground running. He’s already played with most of the guys so chemistry will already be there. He can now ramp up his conditioning and be ready to go once his suspension is lifted,” said Cone.

With six PBA championship titles and three Best Import of the Conference awards to his name, Brownlee has proven himself as a formidable player. Notably, he played a crucial role last year in leading the Philippines to victory in both the Southeast Asian Games and the Asian Games men’s basketball tournaments.

However, shortly after helping end the Philippines’ 61-year gold medal drought in the Asian Games, Brownlee received news from the International Testing Agency that he had tested positive for a banned substance. He decided to serve a provisional suspension starting from November 9, 2023, which made him unable to participate in the Gin Kings’ bid to retain the title in the ongoing PBA 48th Season Commissioner’s Cup.

Brownlee’s absence from the game since his gold-medal-winning performance against Jordan expedited his return to the national team. It’s worth noting that the banned substance he used was taken out-of-competition and had no connection to performance enhancement.

“I can’t wait to play basketball again and put all of this behind me. It’s always been an honor to represent the Philippines and I’m happy to be given the chance again,” said Brownlee.

Gilas Pilipinas will be facing Hong Kong on February 22 at the Tsuen Wan Stadium and Chinese Taipei on February 25 at the PhilSports Arena.