No contest as Fajardo bags 9th MVP award

The No. 9 is universally considered a lucky number.

But June Mar Fajardo didn’t achieve a record-extending ninth Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Most Valuable Player (MVP) honor by mere luck.

The San Miguel Beer behemoth built his case for the highest individual award with consistency and dominating performance in Season 49.

Fajardo formally received his recognition during the awards rites held Sunday at the Novotel Manila.

The 6-foot-10 center was the runaway winner, collecting a total of 3,041 points from statistical points (1,668) and votes from the media (855) and players (518).

Fajardo, who won the 2024-2025 Governors’ Cup and Philippine Cup Best Player of the Conference honors, bested his closest pursuers in NLEX guard Robert Bolick (1,914) and NorthPort’s Arvin Tolentino (1,901) for his third straight MVP hardware.

Statistical points carry a weight of 45 percent, while votes from the media and players are at 30 percent and 25 percent, respectively.

“Of course, I’m happy that I got the MVP. Who would have thought that I would be a nine-time MVP here in the PBA,” the 35-year-old Cebu pride said.

Fajardo powered the Beermen to a Philippine Cup title conquest at the expense of grand slam-seeking TNT in the franchise’s mighty bounce back from an elimination round exit in the Commissioner’s Cup. San Miguel reached the semifinals of the season-opening Governor’s Cup.

The MVP only slipped from the hands of the No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 Draft twice: first during his rookie year and the other in 2021 on his return from a right tibia injury he sustained in 2020.

“When I was injured, when my tibia was injured, a lot of people said that I wouldn’t be able to return to the PBA. It also crossed my mind that maybe I wouldn’t be able to return. But I did my therapy religiously. Because if I give up, by default, I would’ve already lost,” he said.    

“I’m really proud of myself because I didn’t give up. If I had given up, I wouldn’t be here today.”

The 11-time PBA champion was also named part of the First Mythical Team and the All-Defensive Team.

Included in First Mythical Team were Bolick, Tolentino, San Miguel’s CJ Perez and TNT’s Calvin Oftana.

Meanwhile, Barangay Ginebra guard RJ Abarrientos bagged Rookie of the Year with a total of 1,971 points to beat Rain or Shine’s Caelan Tiongson (1,505) and Blackwater’s Cedrick Barefield (1,424).

Joshua Munzon of NorthPort (now Titan Ultra) was named Most Improved Player while Rain or Shine skipper Gian Mamuyac got the Samboy Lim Sportsmanship Award.

The Second Mythical Team was composed of Barangay Ginebra’s Scottie Thompson and Japeth Aguilar, TNT’s RR Pogoy, Magnolia’s Zav Lucero and Converge’s Justin Arana.

Also included in the All-Defensive Team were TNT’s Glenn Khobuntin, Lucero, Munzon, and Ginebra’s Stephen Holt.