(UPDATE) BARANGAY Ginebra's Justin Brownlee had nothing but respect for his TNT counterpart Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (RHJ), who on Sunday, was named the Best Import for the PBA Governors' Cup.
The award marked RHJ's second after winning the Best Import plum during the 2023 Governors' Cup.
"Man, that's a talented dude. He's been playing incredibly the whole conference. It's well-deserved," Brownlee told sportswriters, who during the 2023 season, lost in the Best Import battle to Hollis-Jefferson.
The 6-foot-4 Ginebra resident import admitted that the former Brooklyn Nets wingman has been doing it all since the get go of the season-opening conference.
He noted that Hollis-Jefferson's impact can be seen with the many wins the Tropang Giga piled up dating back to the elimination round phase.
"TNT, in the elimination, it only lost one game. And then in the playoffs, maybe one or two games? But they have just been playing great the whole conference, from elimination to playoffs. He's a huge reason why they're in the Finals. Congratulations to him. It's well-deserved."
Interestingly, Brownlee rediscovered his hot shooting hands on Sunday night, shortly after Hollis-Jefferson's Best Import coronation.
In that Game 4, Brownlee was hot as a pistol, firing 15 of his game-high 34 points in the opening period alone.
The former St. John's standout, who was denied a fourth Best Import award, helped Ginebra sustain its run in the fourth period by making two all-important defensive stops as the Gin Kings pulled off a 106-94 win.
The victory brought the best-of-seven title series to a 2-2 tie, making Wednesday night's Game 5 a crucial clash as both squads try to grab the upper hand.
Brownlee, who also contributed six boards and four assists, deflected the credit to his Ginebra teammates, knowing that his scoring outburst wouldn't be possible if not for their solid setup job in Game 4.
"I give a lot of credit to my teammates. You know, when I was open, they found me. And when I wasn't open, they set good screens to get me open," explained Brownlee, who is best remembered for his game-clinching three-point shot in Game 6 to help Ginebra beat Meralco en route to winning the Governors' Cup during his first PBA stint in the 2016 season.
"It was a great mixture of them getting me open, finding me and setting screens, and me just being able to knock down shots," he added.
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