Cebuano June Mar Fajardo scooped up a fourth straight MVP award on Friday night, and, at just 27 years old and after just five seasons, the gentle giant is expected to break more individual accolades in the PBA in the years to come.
But, in moving forward and as he prepares for the next season that opens in December, he wants more championships for San Miguel Beer to add glitter to his loaded trophy case.
And he has a very good reason for it.
“In winning championships, everyone in the team, even our ballboys, are happy, because they will also have bonuses,” Fajardo told a packed press room in Filipino. “I’m the only one who gets a bonus for winning the MVP.”
San Miguel has been the most dominant team ever since Fajardo arrived as the top overall pick in 2012, a season he missed a major part of because of a groin injury.
His worth ethic and drive enabled him to bounce back from that and bagged the first of those four MVPs, and he threw caution to the wind that the best is still to come, more so after the Beermen failed in their Grand Slam bid this season.
“I am never content,” he continued in a baritone befitting his huge size. “The (individual) awards don’t go to my head. I cherish them here (putting a hand on his chest), but by the start of the next season, that’s already behind me.”
And though he has won four MVP awards, the same number with PBA greats Ramon Fernandez and Alvin Patrimonio, and five PBA titles so far, the 6-foot-10 center from Pinamungajan, Cebu, made it clear that he doesn’t want to be remembered as one with a lot of accolades.
“I want to be remembered not by the number of awards or championships I won. I want to be remembered after my career is over as a player who was able to be a good example to people, especially to the youth,” Fajardo said.
Another Cebuano took home a major award in the annual Leo Awards when Roger Ray Pogoy of TNT KaTropa won the Rookie of the Year award.
The Most Improved Player award went to San Miguel’s Chris Ross while the Sportsmanship Award was won by Rain or Shine’s Gabe Norwood.
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