June Mar Fajardo added yet another award to an already rich collection as he was crowned the 2022 PBA Philippine Cup Best Player of the Conference, Sunday evening at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
The league’s only six-time Most Valuable Player increased his record number of BPCs to nine as he reclaimed the crown-jewel conference’s top individual honors previously won by Magnolia forward Calvin Abueva.
Just in his third conference back from the leg injury that caused him to sit out the 2020 season, Fajardo bested teammate CJ Perez, reigning MVP Scottie Thompson, Mikey Williams, and Japeth Aguilar for the coveted plum.
He won via landslide, garnering a total of 1,119 points from stats, the players, and the media as the Commissioner’s Office is no longer part of the voting process for all PBA-related awards selection.
Behind him was Perez with 776 points, followed by Williams (610) and the Barangay Ginebra tandem of Thompson (468), and Aguilar (415).
Fajardo led the BPC race right from the get-go. He was averaging 18.6 points, a league-best 13.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.4 blocks through the semifinals as he showed that he’s a cut above the rest when healthy.
Big thanks to Fajardo, now with a leaner frame, the Beermen finished as the no. 1 seed at eliminations’ end. He then helped his side beat Blackwater and Meralco en route to their first Finals trip since the 2019 Commissioner’s Cup.
He’s averaging 21.3 points and 17.0 rebounds in the title series opposite TNT, including a monster 27-27 outing in Game Three last Friday to power SMB to the 108-100 overtime win and to a 2-1 lead over the reigning champions.
His BPC bestowment took place prior to Game Four, and could make it a twin celebration later in the night should they get the best of the Tropang Giga and move on the cusp of regaining the throne they held for five years.
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