SAN Miguel Beer prized big man June Mar Fajardo soared to new heights last Sunday night after bagging a record-extending eighth PBA MVP award.
Funny to think the 6-foot-10 Fajardo insisted he is still not the pro league’s greatest player ever.
“Masaya ako na mapabilang doon (multiple MVP winners). Sa tingin ko malayo pa ako doon, ang daming deserving tawaging GOAT sa PBA,” Fajardo said. “Si papa Mon (Ramon Fernandez) ang dami niyang championships, 19 yata. Ako 10 pa lang, sobrang layo ko pa sa kanya.
“Para sakin iyong maraming championship dun matatawag na GOAT. Para sakin sobrang daming deserving na tawaging GOAT. Masaya na ako mapabilang doon,” he added.
Aside from Fernandez’s league-leading 19 titles, “El Presidente” shared the most number of MVP plums with Alvin Patrimonio at four before Fajardo went on a stunning streak of six straight from 2014 to 2019.
It was the second straight season where Fajardo emerged as the best player in Asia’s first play-for-pay league and the eighth time in the last nine years he has won the award.
Only former MVP winner Scottie Thompson of Ginebra halted Fajardo’s dominance — in the 46th season — when the Gilas Pilipinas center was sidelined for the year after undergoing surgery on his shin.
Fajardo, 34, tipped his hat off to Fernandez and Patrimonio, now Magnolia team manager, for blazing a trail.
“Masaya ako sa na-achieve ko. Pero si papa Mon naman and Sir Alvin, iba naman sila, sila talaga iyong batayan sa MVP,” Fajardo said. “Siyempre respect pa rin sa kanila.
“Sila iyong nag-set ng standards sa PBA, kami parang nakasunod lang kami sa kanila.”
The laurels are simply fruits of Fajardo’s sheer hard work and perseverance.
“Gusto ko ring ma-prove sa sarili ko na may mararating ako, may mapapatunayan ako,” he said. “Nagsikap naman ako at ito iyong resulta sa mga ginagawa ko, sa pagtiya-tiyaga ko.”
Fajardo accepted the MVP trophy on a huge stage of the Smart Araneta Coliseum and left with words that should serve as a stern warning to his rivals.
The “Kraken” is humble on and off the hardwood but is a different animal when playing.
“Sana next year ulit.”
