The Gold Standard

Photo: Wikipedia.com

Bobby Parks, Norman Black, and Sean Chambers-- just a few of the PBA's more storied American basketball reinforcements who have led their respective teams to multiple championships and glory. They would take over games while earning the oohs and aahs of the PBA faithful. Players that you love to hate, but would also leave you in awe of just how effortless they make the game look be it on television or live in person.

They ruled the 70s, 80s, and 90s. Other names have come and gone, leaving impressionable marks in the league, such as Lamont Strothers, John Best, and Denzel Bowles, and for a time, we would almost always see teams trying to get imports of a certain mold to match whoever was dominating the league the reinforced conference/ season before.

This era, we have Barangay Ginebra San Miguel's Justin Brownlee.

Some call him 'Magic,' some more creative minds have even started to call him 'Thanos' or 'Six rings.' I remember The Shot that he hit amid cellphone flashes to win the title. I remember him replacing another import mid-conference. If I'm not mistaken, he started his PBA career with Ginebra in 2016.

The year is 2023, and to this day, he appears to be the Gold Standard among all imports. So much so, that Ginebra would opt to have him in the Commissioner's Cup, a conference reserved for imports 6"7 and up as opposed to his customary Governor's Cup, which fields a more familiar 6"6 and below ruling.

He has led a team that, prior to his entry (and that of head coach Tim Cone), has been constantly looking for an identity. Sure, there's the old "Never Say Die," but before Cone and Brownlee, they were doing more 'dying' than actual NSD-ing.

Having Coach Tim Cone, the GOAT among PBA coaches, drawing plays for him is big. And as the team continues to stockpile on elite talent, we've seen Brownlee take on a less aggressive approach scoring-wise while showcasing his passing and defensive skills.

But just when we all thought that maybe, Brownlee's best years were already done, he proves all of the doubters wrong with the 2021 Governor's Cup romp. He then outdoes himself when the visiting Bay Area Dragons came to shore just this 2022-2023, and led his team, be it in points, rebounds, assists-- whatever they needed, whatever the defense gave him, he was sure to deliver.

Brownlee's continued excellence, complemented by his down-to-earth demeanor, has even won the hearts of casual basketball fans. When it was announced that he was being considered as the next naturalized candidate to reinforce Gilas Pilipinas, even at the ripe old age of 34, there were no questions or doubts raised. Only, "it's about damn time."

In the current 2022-2023 Governor's Cup, it appears that Brownlee's being put to the test yet again. This time with a slew of high-scoring wings, some with legitimate NBA pedigree at that. But make no mistake, teams opted for wings instead of traditional bigs because the standard has been set, and he's looking for more gold.