June Mar Fajardo won’t let a nagging shoulder injury get in the way of helping San Miguel in the ongoing PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup semifinals.
The nine-time MVP is choosing to brave through the pain instead of sitting out, all for the Beermen’s bid to defend the crown they reclaimed last season.
“Semifinals na ‘to,” he said.
Fajardo has been dealing with it since the quarterfinals versus NLEX, but it only became obvious in Game 3 of the semis versus Ginebra on Friday night.
After three straight 20-20 outings that hardly showed that he’s hurt, the 36-year-old only tallied six points on 1-of-8 shooting from the floor in a rare off-night.
“Maganda kasi rin ‘yung depensa ng Ginebra,” he said.
Still, Fajardo managed to haul down 19 rebounds and dish out four assists, and also had a steal, making sure to be of help in other departments.
It also helped that the others stepped up to the plate, with Don Trollano erupting for 33 big points to further elevate his play in this series.
“Buti nag-step up ‘yung mga teammates ko,” he lauded.
“Maganda rin naman nilaro ng teammates ko. Doon na lang ako sa rebounds, pasa, parang decoy na lang din ako,” Fajardo added.
However, there’s no denying how concerning his situation is, although Fajardo himself has allayed fears of a major injury, as he’s simply relying on rest and recovery.
“Rest lang, tapos release,” he said. “Tapos, anti-inflammatory.”
Definitely, those would be crucial, especially in the next 24 hours as they gear up for Game 4 at the Mall of Asia Arena, where they’re looking to go 3-1.
“Good thing may pahinga pa,” Fajardo said.
#WATCH: HINDI KO KAILANGAN ANUHIN ‘TO 🏀
June Mar Fajardo is shrugging off the shoulder injury he has since it’s the #PBA50 semifinals#ReadMore 👉 https://t.co/8wBkORJFr5
📹 @justinebacnis /Tiebreaker Time pic.twitter.com/wSaOziYZvp
— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) January 9, 2026
