Barangay Ginebra import Justin Brownlee takes his oath of allegiance to the Philippines at the Senate in Pasay City on Monday, January 16. | Photo by Daniza Fernandez
MANILA, Philippines — Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Barangay Ginebra import Justin Brownlee took his oath of allegiance to the Philippines on Monday.
Brownlee’s oath-taking came after President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. signed into law a measure granting Filipino citizenship to the athlete.
Senator Francis Tolentino, sponsor of the measure in the upper chamber, administered the PBA player’s oath at the Senate in Pasay City.
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Brownlee said he was honored to represent the Philippine flag in basketball competitions.
“I’m just very honored and just blessed to be a Filipino and represent the country in the right way and show that Filipino pride to the world and on the international stage of basketball,” he said after the oath taking.
The athlete said that he would try to keep every Filipino proud.
“Since I came to this country, I’ve gotten a lot of love from fans, from people just walking down the streets. A lot of people are showing a lot of love and I am very appreciative of that,” Brownlee said.
“Being a citizen, I will try my best to make the people, everybody proud. I’ve been receiving a lot of messages, people telling me how proud they are, and I just want to keep making you proud and do what I can to help the national team, just whatever I can,” he added.
Barangay Ginebra import Justin Brownlee (R) takes his oath of allegiance to the Philippines with Senator Francis Tolentino (L) at the Senate in Pasay City on Monday, January 16. | Photo by Daniza Fernandez
Brownlee, who hailed from Georgia, United States, initially joined the PBA as a replacement import.
Brownlee, who has an average of 29.29 points, 10.57 rebounds, and 7.43 assists per game, is a three-time PBA best import awardee.
He is expected to play his first game for the Philippines against Lebanon and Jordan in the sixth window of the Fiba World Cup Asian Qualifiers.