June Mar Fajardo wins his 8th PBA MVP award.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
Not even having more Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards than anyone in the history of the PBA has made June Mar Fajardo conquer stage fright.
“I am soaking wet,” Fajardo said in Filipino after claiming his eighth MVP before the league kicked off its 49th season on Sunday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The San Miguel Beer gentle giant had to take off his team jacket multiple times, revealing his black shirt drenched with sweat owing to the customary duty of doing an acceptance speech after extending his record haul, which is now equal to the combined number of MVPs won by Ramon Fernandez and Alvin Patrimonio, retired greats who have won four each and are far second placers.
READ: June Mar Fajardo extends record with 8th PBA MVP
And apart from receiving the Mythical Five Team and All-Defensive Team honors, Fajardo now has to worry where he’ll put those in the countless trophies and plaques garnered since joining the league 12 years ago.
Does this mean that Fajardo has good reason to take things slow, with his career probably at a point of starting to wind down?
“In my mind, I haven’t won anything yet,” he said. “I don’t think that I’ve already won multiple MVPs, Mythical Team selections or any of the achievements I’ve already had. My thinking is I have to go hard each time and have a mindset that I want to win my first championship.”
He edged out Beermen teammate CJ Perez and new Terrafirma acquisition Christian Standhardinger, who played last season with Barangay Ginebra, to bag his recent MVP plum thanks to his consistent play throughout the 2023-24 campaign.
Tops in SPs
Fajardo finished with 2,799 points after getting 1,615 points from stats, 855 media and 329 players to beat Perez (1,951) and Standhardinger (1,731) for the coveted individual trophy.
And Fajardo made it known that he’s eager to add more to his decorated career as San Miguel enters the new season favored to at least win one of the three conferences, starting with the Governors’ Cup that got underway at press time with the Meralco-Magnolia clash.
“I hope to win this again next year,” he told the Big Dome crowd that also witnessed a star-studded opening rites that included Olympians, athletes and stars serving as muses of the 12 PBA ball clubs.
Fajardo, Perez, Standhardinger, Meralco’s Chris Newsome and NorthPort’s Arvin Tolentino were named to the league’s Mythical First Team.
Rookie of the Year Stephen Holt, now with Ginebra after being traded from Terrafirma, Meralco’s Cliff Hodge, TNT’s Calvin Oftana, Terrafirma’s Juami Tiongson and Phoenix’s Jason Perkins made it to the Second Mythical Team.
Other season winners are Rain or Shine’s Jhonard Clarito as the Most Improved Player and NorthPort’s Paul Zamar getting the Samboy Lim Sportsmanship Award. INQ