SAN Miguel Beer star center June Mar Fajardo showed up at the Smart Araneta Coliseum yesterday wearing a black T-shirt with a mid-sized letter “K” printed on it and a cap that carried his monicker “Kraken.”
For some, Fajardo’s outfit might be too simple for his coronation but no one can argue with this: adding another feat to what is already a legendary pro league career further boosted his case as the greatest ever.
The gentle giant bagged the PBA’s 48th season MVP award in runaway fashion during the Leo Awards held before the game kicking off the Governors Cup.
What the 6-foot-10 Fajardo uttered after raising a record-extending eighth MVP plum simply typified humility even in greatness.
“Siyempre, thankful tayo sa mga blessings ni God, kung may darating na awards tatangapin ko kasi hindi naman tayo habang buhay naglalaro,” Fajardo said. “Ico-collect natin ito para kapag natapos na iyong career ko may babalikan ako.
“Sa isip ko wala pa akong napanalunan, wala pa akong nakuhang awards, MVP, Mythical lahat ng mga achievements ko ngayon hindi ko ipinapasok sa isip ko,” he added.
It was the second straight season where Fajardo emerged as the best player in Asia’s pioneering pro 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 SMB star center was sidelined for the year after undergoing surgery on his shin.
Fajardo wound up with 2799 points, showing the way in statistics (1615) and the cagers (329) and media votes (855), to handily beat teammate CJ Perez’s 1951 points built on 1435 stats, 106 players votes, and 410 media nods.
Terrafirma big man Christian Standhardinger, formerly of the Kings, finished third with 1731 markers.
Fajardo, Perez, and Standhardinger bannered the Mythical First Team that also included Chris Newsome of Meralco and Northport’s Arvin Tolentino.
Rookie of the Year Stephen Holt of Ginebra, who spent his freshman stint with the Dyip, along with Calvin Oftana of TNT, Phoenix’s Jason Perkins, Cliff Hodge of the Bolts, and Terrafirma’s Juami Tiongson comprised the Mythical Second Team.
The Meralco duo of Hodge and Newsome spearheaded the All-Defensive Team along with Fajardo, Joshua Munzon of Northport, and the Dyip’s Kemark Cariño.
Jhonard Clarito of Rain or Shine bagged the Most Improved Player award while the Batang Pier’s Paul Zamar got the Samboy Lim Sportsmanship award.
From his humble beginnings as a province lad in Pinamungajan, Cebu who simply wanted to gain education, Fajardo got more than what he dreamed of–but not after rolling with life’s biggest punches.
“Hindi ko nga na-imagine na makakuha ako ng ganito karaming awards. Sa totoo lang talaga hindi naman ako talaga maglalaro ng basketball kung ma-afford lang talaga ng parents ko na mapag-aral ako sa college, malamang wala ako dito,” he said. “Pero may ibang plano si God sa akin. Nag-pursige ako. Kung ano man iyong mayroon ako siguro naman deserving ako. Hindi naman iyon handover sa akin, pinaghirapan ko naman iyon.
“Na-injure ako, ang dami ko nang pinagdaanan, masakit pero iyon nga siguro bilang isang tao mae-experience talaga natin iyong setbacks, failures, and disappointments pero hindi talaga ako nag-give up.”
