McCullough says series ‘will forever be talked about’

TNT Tropang 5G’s Chris McCullough during Game 7 vs Justin Brownlee and Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings in the 2026 PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines—Chris McCullough may have fallen short of a championship, but the TNT import believes this PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals will be remembered for a long time.

While he would’ve loved to see his Tropang 5G win the whole thing, McCullough still took pride in how he performed against grizzled Justin Brownlee and Barangay Ginebra in seven games.

“Like I said before the start of this, everything, it was going to be one of those series,” he said after TNT’s 88-76 Game 7  loss at the hands of the Gin Kings at Mall of Asia Arena on Wednesday.

“Even if I lost, this series will forever be talked about.”

McCullough did everything he could to help TNT defend its Commissioner’s Cup crown with 28 points and 22 rebounds in the do-or-die.

Brownlee, meanwhile, gave him a run for his money with 30 points, 14 rebounds and five assists to lead Ginebra back on top.

McCullough, a former San Miguel Beer import, was proven right when he said it would be a special series.

After all, it produced one of the most memorable import duels in league history, with two imports scoring at least 50 points against each other for the first time in 37 years.

That came in Game 6, when McCullough scored 53 points while Brownlee poured in with 52 in TNT’s 98-90 victory that forced the deciding Game 7.