As June Mar Fajardo is set to claim a record-extending ninth PBA Most Valuable Player award, he was once again counting his blessings.
‘Who would have thought?’ Fajardo said in Filipino. ‘I was never a huge basketball fan at the beginning, but here I am possibly winning another MVP.’
Barring the unexpected, Fajardo will be named as the best of Season 49 on Sunday afternoon when the league holds its Leo Awards at Novotel Manila in Cubao, Quezon City.
The awarding will serve as a kickoff to a busy day for the league, with the 50th season opening ceremonies to follow and the Barangay Ginebra-Magnolia faceoff at nearby Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Fajardo topped the statistical points category with 42.1 followed by NLEX’s Robert Bolick with 36.7 and Arvin Tolentino, who had 35.3 during his time with NorthPort before jumping ship to the Korean Basketball League for the Seoul SK Knights.
The stats are also backed by his two Best Player of the Conference awards in the Governors’ Cup and Philippine Cup, which saw San Miguel win the crown after denying TNT’s Grand Slam bid.
Fajardo has won the last two MVPs, almost all in convincing manner, and it seems that voters will likely give their nod to him once more.
Members of the media have 30 percent of the criteria while players have 25 percent. The remaining 45 percent are from the statistics.
Fajardo played 58 games and produced 19.2 points, 15.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.0 blocks during a season of ups and downs for San Miguel. Before defeating TNT, San Miguel was eliminated in the semifinals of the Governors’ Cup by Barangay Ginebra before missing the quarterfinals of the Commissioner’s Cup which was marred by multiple import changes and the transition from Jorge Gallent back to Leo Austria as coach.