Ginebra taps former Meralco import Tony Bishop as Brownlee replacement

For the first time in five years, Barangay Ginebra is fielding an import not named Justin Brownlee.

Kings head coach Tim Cone confirmed on Friday, Oct. 27 that the team is tapping the services of former Meralco import Tony Bishop as the team’s reinforcement for the 2023 PBA Commissioner’s Cup.

That, as the team still awaits the fate of its resident import in Brownlee who was flagged by the International Testing Agency after testing positive to banned substance after Gilas Pilipinas’ golden conquest in the Asian Games.

“We have searched out another import. We’re bringing in Tony Bishop, the ex-Meralco import that we played against in the finals a couple of years ago,” said Cone in an interview with CNN Sports Desk.

“He was a guy that we had such a tough time with, such a tough time defending. He was so versatile and so level-headed. We couldn’t get under his skin so he was one of the first guys we thought about,” he added.

Bishop and Brownlee actually played each other when the former suited up for the Bolts in 2021. In fact, the two even fought for the title in that year’s Governors’ Cup which Ginebra won, 4-2. Brownlee also beat Bishop for Best Import plum in that conference.

Bishop, who is set to arrive in the country on Saturday, Oct. 28, will only be the second import outside Brownlee to play for the Kings since 2018 – the other being Charles Garcia who had a brief stint in 2018 before also getting replaced by Brownlee. — Reynald L. Magallon