June Mar Fajardo remains doubtful to suit up for San Miguel in Game 2 of their PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup semifinal clash versus Ginebra on Friday.
Head coach Leo Austria said that it will all depend on the doctor’s advice as the eight-time MVP went for a checkup on Thursday after suffering a calf injury in their series opener the night before, in which they eventually lost, 71-73.
“We’re still waiting for the go-signal of the doctor if he can play,” the champion mentor told Tiebreaker Times Thursday afternoon. “So we’ll see tomorrow.”
The good thing, though, is that Fajardo suffered nothing serious, as there was no tear found based on the imaging scans’ results.
“Fortunately for us, there’s nothing serious. Walang tear o kung ano,” said Austria as he felt some sense of relief. “Mabuti na lang din.”
(C) PBA Images
Still, San Miguel prefers to take a cautious approach with the 35-year-old, who’s faced calf issues in the past — the most recent of which was last year, which kept him out of Gilas in the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers’ first window.
“Siyempre, ayaw naman naming ma-aggravate ‘yung injury ni June Mar,” said Austria. “That’s why we’ll wait until tomorrow kung kayang ilaro.”
Fajardo hurt his right calf at the 8:38-mark of the fourth quarter in Game 1 upon landing from an attempt to clean up his own miss from point-blank.
Austria said that the Cebuano star already felt tightness in his calf as early as the second quarter, but the pain would only shoot up during the said sequence.
Still, he managed to play through it as he was brought back with about four minutes remaining, and even tried to save SMB during the dying seconds when he went for the go-ahead basket, only to get denied by Japeth Aguilar.
Fajardo finished with just six points but collected 19 rebounds in the loss that saw San Miguel squander an 18-point lead as the crowd darlings roared back with their signature ‘NSD’ comeback to take the 1-0 lead in the best-of-7 tilt.
The Beermen, of course, are hoping to even things out, but the biggest concern now is whether or not their main man would be able to suit up.
Game 2 is set at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium, scheduled for a 5:00 PM tip-off, as the long-time rivals open the double-header offering. Capping things off is the other semis bracket between TNT and Rain or Shine at 7:30 PM.
#WATCH: “SANA WALA”
June Mar Fajardo remains hopeful as he prepares for his calf MRI tomorrow 🏀#ReadMore 👉 https://t.co/mgLrYVtdb1
🎥 @justinebacnis /Tiebreaker Times#PBA2025 pic.twitter.com/JQ1XZofYCd
— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) June 25, 2025
