‘Michael Jordan of Philippine Basketball’: Kai Sotto Gives Justin Brownlee the Ultimate Compliment After Gilas’ Surprise Over Latvia in FIBA ​​OQT

“He is the Michael Jordan of Philippine basketball.”

Gilas Pilipinas big man Kai Sotto gave this bold praise to his teammate Justin Brownlee, following the naturalized player’s heroic performance in Gilas Pilipinas’ stunning 89-80 victory over world number 6 Latvia during 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 told FIBA ​​in an interview.

Brownlee had a night to remember in Riga, with an all-around performance of 26 points, nine rebounds and nine assists in 37 minutes of play, and he threw down clutch shots in the closing stages to snuff out a late Latvian rally en route to a monumental victory in front of the Riga crowd. He also made seven of seven free throws.

Kaiju also held their own against Latvia, with 18 points and eight rebounds and an extremely efficient shooting percentage of 70%.

(READ ALSO: Justin Brownlee Shines as Gilas Pilipinas Surprise World No. 6 Latvia with Strong Start in FIBA ​​OQT)

After the match, Sotto praised the multiple PBA champion, who also led Gilas Pilipinas to a historic gold medal at the 2023 Asian Games last year, for yet another stellar performance in a hostile environment.

“That’s what we expected from him and that’s what he does every night,” Sotto said in an interview with FIBA. “He goes out there with his A-game every night. He’s a great teammate, he’s a great player, and we’re very blessed, we’re very happy to have him.”

Brownlee responded most to Sotto’s comment.

“I appreciate Kai saying this, but I’m just here to do my best and do whatever I can to help the team win,” said the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel import.

“Man, it was big for us. We have a lot of respect for Latvia. It feels great, but we are definitely not satisfied. We (are) hungry and confident to move forward.”

Can Gilas Pilipinas claim another huge scalp against Georgia in a crucial match later? Tune in LIVE at 8:30 PM ET on One Sports, RPTV and the Pilipinas Live app.

(NEXT: FIBA ​​OQT: Gilas Pilipinas Scenarios Against Georgia to Reach Semifinals)