Thirteen years after June Mar Fajardo started his Gilas Pilipinas journey with a heartbreaking loss to Iran, the veteran big man closed the book on his national team career by beating the same country at the same venue.

The 36-year-old slotman essayed a fitting farewell to his legendary international career by posting six points and two rebounds in Gilas Pilipinas’ 68-56 victory over the Iranians on Sunday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Fajardo admitted that he got a little emotional, knowing that it’s going to be the last time for him to don the national jersey. In fact, fans serenaded him with cheers during his brief stay on the court, even shouting “MVP!” when he was shooting a free throw in the second quarter.

“It was emotional during the national anthem because I knew it would be my last game,” Fajardo said.

“Time flies so fast, but this is it. I’m still proud of myself for the time I had with the national team. I had a lot of learnings and memories that will stay with me.”

Fajardo made his international debut at the same Pasay venue in 2013 when Gilas Pilipinas fell to the Hamed Haddadi-powered Iran in the gold medal match of the FIBA Asia Championship.

Since then, he has collected several international medals, including from the 2017 SEABA Championship, the 2019 Southeast Asian Games in Manila, and the 2022 SEA Games in Hanoi.

Fajardo also earned the distinction of being one of the only two players who made three World Cup appearances in Spain 2014, China in 2019, and the Philippines in 2023. The other one is Japeth Aguilar, who also retired from international action.

His biggest triumph, however, came in the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, where Gilas ended a 61-year gold medal drought following a dramatic win over China in the semifinals and Jordan in the finals.

Despite calls for him to make one final appearance in the 20th Asian Games in Nagoya, Fajardo still decided to leave the job of defending the crown to the next generation of stars.

“Gilas has such a bright future. We can clearly see that. As long as they stay healthy, they are the ones who will carry the team,” Fajardo said. “They represent the present, so they are the future as well.”

With Fajardo stepping aside, head coach Tim Cone is already looking at the next wave of big men to fill the void.

Quentin Millora-Brown and Mike Phillips are among those expected to take on bigger roles as Gilas prepares for future international competitions as well as 7-foot-3 Kai Sotto, 6-foot-11 AJ Edu, and 6-foot-8 Carl Tamayo.

“QMB is on the horizon, Mike Phillips is around. We still got guys that can step in into the program and give us some size and athleticism,” Cone said.

“The depth that you have is actually very crucial to the success that you have.”

Gilas will return to action in November for the fifth window of the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers against Syria and Iran.

By then, Fajardo will no longer be around, but he will definitely be cheering from the sidelines, watching as the next generation of stars carry the torch for Philippine basketball.