Is Justin Brownlee the GOAT import? PBA Greats Black, Chambers Respond
Justin Brownlee has won his seventh PBA championship, the most by any import in league history, strengthening his case as the PBA’s Greatest Import of All Time.
Barangay Ginebra’s 88-76 victory over TNT in Game 7 of the Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup Finals on Wednesday at Mall of Asia Arena gave Brownlee the championship that finally moved him past Sean Chambers for the most titles won by a PBA import.
Sean Chambers Passes the Torch
For Chambers, the former Alaska reinforcement who held the mark for decades with six championships, there was no bitterness in seeing the record fall.
“None at all,” wrote Chambers when asked whether he felt bad that the record for most championships by an import no longer belonged to him.
Chambers burst onto the PBA scene in 1989, but he had already seen some of the great imports who played before him.
As early as 1987, Chambers was already taking part in PBA-related competition as a member of the IBA All-Stars, who competed in the side event known as the PBA-IBA Series. There, he crossed paths with some of the greatest imports ever to play in the league, including Billy Ray Bates and Bobby Parks Sr.
To spice up the invitational event, the PBA organized a slam dunk contest featuring imports from the participating ballclubs. That was how Chambers found himself in a head-to-head showdown with Bates, the “Black Superman,” in the finals.
Chambers defeated Bates, then playing for Ginebra, after Bates missed his final dunk attempt.
“Years later, we met on board a plane and I approached him. I asked him if he still remembers me and he said, ‘Yeah, you stole my championship,’” said Chambers.
Bates did not have a long PBA career like Chambers, who played for Alaska from 1989 to 2001 and became one of the faces of the franchise’s golden era. Chambers won six championships with the Milkmen/Aces, including Alaska’s 1996 Grand Slam, and became the model of what a resident import could be in Philippine basketball.
Chambers also remained relevant in Philippine basketball even after retirement. He has been involved with Alaska as a special trainer, later joined TNT in player development, and was hired as head coach of the Far Eastern University Tamaraws. He has also worked with the Gilas Pilipinas coaching staff in recent years.
With Gilas, Chambers had an up-close experience working with Brownlee, the country’s naturalized player. It gave him an even better view of Justin Noypi’s greatness beyond the PBA.
But while Chambers was left in awe, particularly by Brownlee’s performance in Gilas Pilipinas’ gold medal campaign in the Asian Games three years ago, the future Hall of Famer still places Bobby Parks Sr., the seven-time Best Import awardee, high on his list.
“I would say Bobby Ray and Justin are the best. Tony Harris was the most talented, but he just didn’t have a long career here,” added Chambers.
Building Brownlee’s Case
Brownlee’s latest title came with more evidence for his case. In the Game 7 clincher, he led Ginebra with 30 points and 14 rebounds, including 16 points in the second half as the Gin Kings erased a halftime deficit. Earlier in the same Finals series, he produced 54 points in Game 5 and 52 points in Game 6, a reminder that even at 38, he remains capable of carrying a team on the biggest stage.
He also won his fourth Best Import award during the conference, making him second only to Parks, who won the honor seven times. Brownlee first won Best Import in the 2018 Commissioner’s Cup, then in the 2021 Governors’ Cup, the 2022-23 Commissioner’s Cup, and now the Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup.
Andy Jao’s Pick
Veteran sports broadcaster Andy Jao, known in the local sports media circuit as Dr. J, has seen many of the greatest imports to ever play in the PBA during more than four decades working on the broadcast panel.
Outside of his work as a broadcaster, Jao was also a team executive, especially during Tommy Manotoc’s time as head coach of U/Tex and San Miguel Beer. He also served as team manager of Manila Beer.
“During the 1970s and early 1980s, many of the imports we were seeing were around 6-foot-9, 6-foot-10, but Norman Black, who stands only 6-foot-5, stood out and for me, he was an all-time greatest import, until I saw Justin Brownlee,” Jao told ALL-STAR Magazine.
“What’s amazing about Brownlee is he can play multiple positions, probably all positions, and he was able to perform well whether he’s playing in a tournament which featured imports of unlimited height or imports with a 6-foot-6 height limit. He’s so versatile. Norman was also versatile, but I think he played the 3, 4 and 5 positions, and he was a high-scoring import, which is why he still remains the all-time scoring leader among imports.”
Norman Black Weighs In
Black’s import resume remains difficult to ignore. He is still regarded as the PBA’s all-time scoring leader among imports, having finished with 11,329 points and a 40.2-point average in 282 games. His peak was staggering: in 1981, he averaged 51.8 points and 24.6 rebounds, and he later became one of the rare figures who left a massive mark both as a PBA import and as a PBA coach.
Bates, according to Jao, also holds a special place in his memory, especially from the time the import played for the Crispa Redmanizers and helped lead the team to the 1983 Grand Slam.
“Billy Ray Bates may be the most talented import I’ve ever seen, but he carried excess baggage with him, that’s why he didn’t last long in the PBA. But Billy was a legitimate NBA player and for a while became a star player of the Portland Trail Blazers. Another former NBA player who also thrived in the PBA was former Boston Celtic Glen McDonald, who won a championship for U/Tex,” said Jao.
“But in terms of longevity, Norman and Justin were standouts. They adapted to the Pinoy style of play, embraced the Filipino culture and did great service to the Philippines, which was why they became well-loved by fans.”
Black paid tribute to Brownlee’s greatness, and he experienced it firsthand.
“Much of those championships Justin won came at our expense when I was coaching Meralco,” said Black, who coached the Bolts until 2023 and watched his team get tormented by Brownlee and the Gin Kings in multiple championship meetings.
Brownlee’s Ginebra defeated Black’s Meralco teams in the 2016, 2017, and 2019 Governors’ Cup Finals, giving Black a close view of the import’s poise, patience, and ability to decide a series.
“Justin was really a great player, but maybe I’m a little bit biased if I say Billy Ray Bates and Bobby Parks were two of the best imports I ever faced. When it comes to talent, I have to give it to Billy Ray Bates, but in terms of greatness, Bobby Parks should be up there, along with Brownlee.”
So, Is Brownlee the GOAT?
That is where the debate now stands.
For pure talent, Bates and Harris remain mythical names. For statistical dominance, Black still owns the strongest case. For awards, Parks remains the gold standard. For the resident import model, Chambers defined an era.
But for championships, longevity, versatility, cultural connection, and repeated moments under pressure, Brownlee has become impossible to deny.
The latest title did not end the debate, but it changed its center of gravity. The question is no longer whether Justin Brownlee belongs with the greatest imports in PBA history.
The question now is whether anyone still stands ahead of him.
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