Justin Brownlee formally brought his acts to Indonesia as he joined Pelita Jaya in the Indonesian Basketball League.
The club made the announcement on social media, saying that the experience of the 35-year-old Brownlee will be crucial in its bid to win its fourth IBL crown.
Pelita Jaya is no longer new to hiring Filipinos.
In fact, it used to be the club of Filipino coaches Nat Canson and Bong Ramos as well as CJ Giles, who used to be the candidate for naturalization of Gilas Pilipinas under Serbian coach Rajko Toroman.
Toroman also worked with the Indonesians as he steered them to the 31st Southeast Asian Games title in 2021 in Hanoi.
At Pelita Jaya, Brownlee will be at home as he joins former Philippine Basketball Association imports K.J. McDaniels and Thomas Robinson as well as United States-born swingman Brandon Jawato.
McDaniels played for TNT Tropang Giga in 2019, NLEX in 2021 and Meralco in 2023 while Robinson had a brief stint with NLEX in 2023.
Jawato, of course, is considered as a hero in Indonesia after playing a key role in its unforgettable title conquest in the SEA Games.
Brownlee arrived in Jakarta on Sunday and will be on the court when Pelita Jaya faces Rans Simba on Saturday.
In a previous statement, Gilas Pilipinas coach Tim Cone said they gave Brownlee the green light to play in Indonesia to stay in shape while waiting for his next international assignment and the import-flavored conference of the PBA.
“There’s offers (for him) to go play overseas since it’s All-Filipino (in the PBA) and we’re perfectly fine with that,” Cone said.
“We’re all for him going out and staying in shape.”
Cone, however, assured that Brownlee will be available once Gilas Pilipinas reconvenes for the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Riga, Latvia from 2 to 7 July.
“If he goes and play somewhere, or in Europe or in Japan or Korea or the Middle East, where he played in before, he’ll always be available for the window because he’s a naturalized player so if he goes and plays, he’s got a contract in June and July and August, he’ll be able to come back and join us for the window,” Cone said.
