Denied of the highest individual award following San Miguel Beer’s disastrous campaign in the previous conference, June Mar Fajardo is well on his way to winning another Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Best Player of the Conference.
Dominating the competition with a consistent monster performance despite dealing with a calf injury has put Fajardo ahead in the chase for the coveted accolade.
And with the Beermen advancing into the finals of the Philippine Cup, the 6-foot-10 center is projected to bag his record BPC collection to 12.
Still, the eight-time Most Valuable Player is tuning out the outside noise of personal recognition.
He remains focused on the big picture: Bringing back San Miguel to its former glory by annexing the all-Filipino throne after relinquishing its seat to Meralco last year.
“It’s not in my mind right now. We are focused on winning the championship,” Fajardo said.
The Beermen are trying to secure a 2-1 best-of-seven series lead as of press time at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. San Miguel dropped the series opener in a controversy-marred match before equalizing in Game 2.
Fajardo leads the BPC race with 39.6 statistical points (SPs) with a double-double average of 16.0 points and 13.95 rebounds along with 3.2 assists, 1.1 blocks and 0.6 steals per game until the end of the semifinals.
The 10-time PBA champion is also expected to win the media and PBA poll by a landslide.
Robert Bolick of NLEX is second in the BPC race with 36.6 points followed by San Miguel’s CJ Perez (35.4 SPs), Phoenix’s Jason Perkins (35.3 (SPs) and Magnolia’s Zav Lucero (35.2). Bolick and Lucero advanced to the semifinals, while Perkins’ squad missed the playoffs.
Fajardo sustained a calf injury in Game 1 of the semis against Barangay Ginebra, which forced head coach Leo Austria to play him off the bench in a couple of games.
Despite playing through pain and with reduced minutes, the 35-year-old behemoth maintained a double-double average of 12.57 points and 15.14 rebounds per game in the Final Four.
“But if I win, of course, I’ll be very thankful,” he said.
“I’ll embrace anything that will be given to me as recognition.”