Naturalized player Justin Brownlee had already started to walk following a successful ankle surgery last week.
Barangay Ginebra San Miguel head coach Tim Cone yesterday said seeing Brownlee starting to walk is a positive sign, prompting them to start his series of rehabilitation to make him available for the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou from 23 September to 8 October.
After powering the country to the 32nd Southeast Asian Games last May, Brownlee joined the first phase of Gilas Pilipinas training for the FIBA Basketball World Cup.
He took a breather in the United States but rejoined Gilas Pilipinas in its training in Estonia and Lithuania despite nursing bone spurs in his ankle.
When Jordan Clarkson became available, the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas encouraged Brownlee to undergo surgery to make him available for the Asian Games.
“His surgery is done and he is already walking,” Cone, also an assistant coach at Gilas Pilipinas, said in a Viber message to Daily Tribune.
“He will start his rehab soon.”
During Gilas training last Friday, Brownlee made a surprise appearance and personally met Clarkson as well as his Filipino teammates who are preparing for the world’s biggest basketball spectacle from 25 August to 10 September.
Aside from the Asian Games, Brownlee also expected grueling battles in the Philippine Basketball Association and the East Asia Super League Season 2.
In the coming Commissioner’s Cup, the 6-foot-6 Brownlee is set to bang bodies with Rondae Hollis-Jefferson of TNT Tropang Giga, Tyler Bey
of Magnolia and other imports not taller than 6-foot-9.
He will also power the Kings in the EASL Season 2 in which they are bracketed with the Ryukyu Golden Kings of Japan, Seoul SK Knights of South Korea and the bitter rivals Bay Area Dragons of Hong Kong.
EASL will run from October to March next year
