Kai Sotto on Justin Brownlee: 'He's the Michael Jordan of Philippine basketball'

Is Justin Brownlee the Michael Jordan of Philippine basketball?

For Kai Sotto, yes, Brownlee could be likened to the basketball icon.

In the Gilas Pilipinas victory against world no. 6 Latvia on Thursday, Brownlee registered 26 points, nine rebounds, nine assists, a steal, and a block to lead the Philippines to an 89-80 win in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

"The world doesn’t really know much about Justin Brownlee, but for me, he’s the Michael Jordan of Philippine basketball," Sotto said on the sidelines of the FIBA OQT in Latvia.

"That’s what we expect him to do and that’s what he does every night. He just goes out there with his A-game every single night. He’s a great teammate, he’s a great player, and we’re very blessed, very lucky to have him."

Is Justin Brownlee the MJ of the Philippines? ???????????? #FIBAOQT pic.twitter.com/l9QQjJgblV

— FIBA (@FIBA) July 3, 2024

Brownlee made his debut for Gilas Pilipinas in the final window of the 2023 FIBA World Cup Qualifiers back in February last year. He was part of the Gilas team which reclaimed the gold medal in the 2023 Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia, and also led the national team to the gold medal in the 2023 Asian Games in China.

He returned to the squad this year for the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers after undergoing suspension for testing positive for a prohibited substance which was revealed after the Asian Games victory.

Sotto, meanwhile, is happy with the Philippine win.

"Very blessed and very happy that we got the win tonight and no one got injured. Just happy that everyone contributed for the win," he said on the press conference.

Gilas will still face Georgia on Thursday night as it hopes to advance to the tournament's semifinals.

—JKC, GMA Integrated News