Hold your horses: Too early to label Fajardo GOAT

June Mar Fajardo with his trophies which includes a fifth PBA MVP award. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

The PBA’s most decorated coach believes there’s too much history that needs to be weighed and eras that need to be broken down before anyone can award GOAT status to San Miguel Beer star and five-time MVP June Mar Fajardo just yet.

“I think it’s very difficult to compare eras,” Tim Cone said. “Ramon Fernandez was incredible. I coached Alvin Patrimonio for many years [and] he was incredible.”

Fajardo won his fifth MVP trophy last Sunday, eclipsing the record shared by former San Miguel Beer star Fernandez and long-time Purefoods franchise player Patrimonio.

The 6-foot-10 Cebuano also shrugged off GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) suggestions, saying in Filipino the stars that came before him “accomplished more, especially in terms of championships.”

Cone also said the number of MVP awards does not automatically make one the greatest ever, a tag that has fueled a lot of debates in a team sport like basketball.

“You know, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar—who is my favorite player—he had six MVPs. But they don’t consider him the best of all time, because [he was] from a different era. Michael Jordan came later, LeBron (James) came later, Bill Russel before all of them. So it’s really difficult [to tell],” he added.

While MVP trophies indeed have never been a measure of greatness, the manner by which Fajardo won them is what opened up GOAT discussions: Fajardo collected MVP awards in consecutive fashion.

Since entering the PBA, the 29-year-old Fajardo’s lone non-MVP year was his rookie season. His fourth MVP came in his fifth year in the PBA. Fernandez won his fourth MVP award 13 years after his PBA debut while it took Patrimonio almost a decade to collect his four trophies.

“June Mar is the greatest of this era—maybe the best all time, but I’m not gonna say anything definitive who’s the best. I don’t have one. They’re all good,” said Cone, who himself is in the conversation when it comes to debates on the greatest PBA coach of all time—he is the only coach to have assembled two Grand Slam seasons.

‘Legends before me’

“If I say June Mar [is GOAT], then that’s saying something about Mon, that’s saying about Alvin,” he added.

Fajardo has also said he shouldn’t be considered the PBA greatest player.

“There are legends who came before me,” he said in Filipino. “I think they should be considered as such (GOAT). They played here in the PBA and they have accomplished more, especially in terms of championships.”

Fernandez, for example, has won a league record 19 championships.

Cone, though, is willing to stand by the claim that Fajardo is the league’s most dominant player.

“There’s no doubt. You don’t win five MVPs for nothing. He has been remarkably healthy for all the pounding that he takes. That itself is just worthy of being MVP. That’s another thing Alvin [also] had.

“No doubt, right now, June Mar in the last four, five years, has been the most dominant in our league.”

The debate is expected to rage on until Fajardo fills out his potential. With at least three to four peak years still ahead of him, Fajardo, if he stays healthy, has what it takes to end his mark by putting the MVP record beyond reach.

By then, the debate may finally end.

Or not.

Cone reminded everyone how far-reaching the definition of “greatest ever” is, bringing up the legend who has had the most impact on the country’s basketball lore.

“Probably, maybe he may not be the best player, but the biggest personality? The most important player of all time? [Sonny Jaworski] He won an MVP, I believe… in terms of probably the most important person in the history of our league? It was Jaworski,” he said.