Even if it was already inevitable, June Mar Fajardo was still surprised that he was named the PBA’s Most Valuable Player for the fourth straight year, the first time a player won the award in as many consecutive years.
“‘Di ko ine-expect na mata-tie ko yung record,” said the 27-year-old, who is now tied with PBA legends Ramon Fernandez and Alvin Patrimonio with the most number of MVP hardwares, “[Pero] masaya ako na nakuha ko MVP.
“Thankful [din] ako sa teammates ko, kasi ‘di ko makukuha ‘to kung ‘di dahil sa kanila.”
And speaking of teammates, the MVP race frontrunners were actually Fajardo and fellow Beermen Alex Cabagnot and Chris Ross. For the Cebuano slotman, this is only a testament that SMB isn’t a team that relies on one man alone.
“Nakakatuwa kasi parang patunay yun na ‘di lang isa o dalawang tao gumagawa sa San Miguel, kundi kami lahat,” he said. “Sa practice competitive kami. Gusto naming lahat manalo. Pero thankful ako na lahat kami [nandoon].”
Fajardo’s case of being one of the greatest players in the league has surely strengthened after Friday night. But for the soft-spoken six-foot-ten cager, all that he really desires is to win as many championships as he can.
“‘Di ko talaga priority MVP. Mas gusto ko championship,” said the five-time champion and one-time Finals MVP.
“Mas masaya yung feeling na nakita mo mukha ng mga kasama mo, fans, pamilya, mas maganda feeling.”
But on top of all the accolades, whether team or individual, there is one thing that Fajardo wants to achieve in his career. For him, he also wishes to be a great example for many, especially to the younger generation.
“Gusto kong maalala ng tao na ‘di lang sa dami ng awards or championships. Gusto kong maalala ako kung ano ako sa PBA,” said Fajardo.
“Kung naging magandang example ako sa mga kabataan, yun ang gusto kong iwan.”
