Cebuano big man June Mar Fajardo is interviewed during practice at the Hoopsdome in Lapu-Lapu City. (CDN PHOTO/BRIAN OCHOA)
Not much has changed for the former Cesafi star who is now a PBA champ
What makes June Mar Fajardo unique? We realize that the query is fairly redundant. It’s not like 6-foot-10 giants with nimble feet and a soft shooting touch grow on trees.
However, for someone who stands unrivaled at the top of the PBA’s mountain, it’s Fajardo’s humility and blatant reluctance to embrace stardom that gets as much top billing as his basketball skills.
This was on full display during his recent homecoming when he and the rest of the San Miguel Beermen trooped to Cebu to battle the Global Port Batang Pier in an out-of-town game in the PBA Philippine Cup.
Playing in front of an adoring crowd and familiar faces, Fajardo, known to many as Abai, was almost ashamed to soak up all the adulation. After all, it was just a few years ago when he was playing for the University of Cebu (UC) Webmasters, which he led to consecutive Cesafi championships in 2010 and 2011.
Six years later, most basketball fans and observers can attest that one can take the Cebuano out of Cebu, but never Cebu out of the Cebuano.
“Nothing has changed. I’m the same person,” said Fajardo, the proud son of the southern Cebu town of Pinamungahan. “The only difference is that I’m now playing in the PBA.”
In spite of the numerous personal awards, which include three PBA championships and three MVP trophies, Fajardo said that his parents, especially his mother Maritess, have always reminded him to not let these define who he is.
“Yun talaga ang nakasanayan ko. Maintain lang talaga. Hindi porket nasa Manila na ako at mayroon na ako na-achieve, itataas ko na sarili ko. Hindi talaga ako ganun na klase na tao,” said Fajardo. (That’s what I’m used to. Just be the same. It doesn’t mean that just because I’m in Manila and have achieved a lot, I can show off. I’m not that type of a person.)
He added that it is also his mom who reminds him to keep his feet on the ground.
“Yun talaga ang tinuro sa akin ng nanay ko. Na dapat humble lang palagi, na dapat hindi talaga magyabang. Kahit ano pa ang narating ko, dapat magpasalamat lang talaga sa Diyos.” (That’s what my mom taught me. To always stay humble and not be arrogant. No matter what I achieve, I should always remember to thank God.)
You don’t have to take the big man’s word for it. His former teammates say that not much has changed between the June Mar that used to rule over Cesafi and the one that’s dominating the professional league now.
“Walang nagbago talaga. Kung gaano kami ka-close noon, mas naging close pa kami ngayon. (Nothing has changed really. If we were close before, we’re even closer now.) He always finds time to meet up with us if ever we feel like hanging out,” shared Luigi Bercede, Fajardo’s teammate back in 2010, who is now playing for Global Port.
Kirby Cabrera, another teammate of the big guy, described Fajardo as goofy and always hardworking. He asked Fajardo once if all the picture and autograph requests ever bothered him?
“He told me it’s perfectly alright and that he always has fun with the fans. I asked him if he ever considered getting a bodyguard with all the attention that he commands. He told me: ‘why should I? They can’t get anything from me,’” Cabrera recalled with a laugh.
As Fajardo rose to put on his sneakers and rejoin his teammates during their shootaround, this writer noticed that he was wearing a generic and fairly priced brand and asked why he wasn’t donning the more flashier models that some of his teammates were wearing.
Without batting an eyelash, Fajardo said with a sly smile, “Okay lang ito. Para lang sa mga star yung ganoon na sapatos!” (This is okay. Those kinds of shoes are for the stars.)
Disclaimer: The comments uploaded on this site do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of management and owner of Cebudailynews. We reserve the right to exclude comments that we deem to be inconsistent with our editorial standards.
