LEAGUE OF HIS OWN
Finals MVP June Mar Fajardo kisses his second PBA championship. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.NET
June Mar Fajardo won a second straight season MVP award, took home his second PBA championship and a first Finals MVP among his other accolades as he wrapped up what he described as the “best season so far” in his young PBA career.
Fajardo was a man among boys in the 2015 PBA Governors’ Cup Finals in leading San Miguel Beer to a four-game sweep of Alaska, averaging 16.7 points, 17.2 rebounds and two blocks per game.
But Fajardo, whose low-pitched voice matches his 6-foot-10 built and bulky frame, will always be a kid at heart.
When asked what he thinks about the kind of season that was for him, Fajardo cracked up a throng of reporters who circled around him moments after the Beermen celebrated their second crown of the season and 21st overall.
“Naka-Sportsmanship Award nga, naka-flagrant foul pa (I won a Sportsmanship Award plus I got a flagrant foul too),” he said laughing before explaining himself,
“Di naman sinasadya yun eh (I didn’t mean to do it).”
In just his third year in the league, Fajardo, who was also named to the All-Defensive Team list, said he’s just left in awe thinking about all of what he has already achieved in only a short span of time.
“Sobrang blessed lang talaga ako ni God this year na naka-dalawang championship ako, nag-MVP, at Finals MVP pa. Hindi every year nakaka-champion yung isang team kaya kailangan naming i-cherish yung moment na to (I’m just so blessed by God this year that I won two championships, I won an MVP and a Finals MVP as well. It’s not every year that a team wins a championship and we have to cherish this moment),” he said.
It was a season like no other for the 25-year-old Fajardo, who, at his age, has already established himself as the league’s most dominant player.
“Sobrang nagpapasalamat lang kami kay God at sa San Miguel management sa suportang binigay nila sa amin kahit nag-struggle kami. Nagpapasalamat ako sa coaches at teammates. Sila yung nag-push sa akin para mag-improve (We thank God and the San Miguel management for their support despite our struggles. I also thank my coaches and teammates, they’re the ones who push me to improve),” Fajardo said.
Fajardo won’t have much time to rest with the country about to begin forming its pool of players, where he’s considered a shoo-in to make the national team again, next month for the coming Fiba Asia Championship in September.
And with only about two weeks or so before getting back into training, Fajardo has it all figured out on how he’ll celebrate the kind of year he had.
“As usual, DOTA hanggang umaga (until dawn).”