JUNE Mar Fajardo never gets tired winning the PBA Best Player of the Conference award.
On Sunday, the San Miguel Beer main man clinched a record-extending 11th BPC honor as he beat out Barangay Ginebra's Japeth Aguilar for the coveted individual title in the season-opener Governors' Cup.
The 34-year-old Fajardo shared center stage with Rondae Hollis-Jefferson who claimed a second Best Import award at the expense of Barangay Ginebra's Justine Brownlee.
Fajardo and Hollis-Jefferson received their respective plaques and checks of P50,000 each from Commissioner Willie Marcial, who was joined by San Miguel Corporation (SMC) sports director Alfrancis Chua, San Miguel governor Robert Non, and NLEX governor Ronald Dulatre during the brief awarding ceremony held just before Game 4 of the finals between Ginebra and TNT at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The 6-foot-10 Fajardo tallied a total of 989 points after topping the statistical points (465) and media votes (476), while coming second in the players' votes (252).
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Despite owning the most number of BPC awards in PBA history, Fajardo remains humble and hungry for more.
"Sa isip ko wala pa akong napanalunan. Kaya lagi kong pinu-push yung sarili ko na mag-pursige. Never umakyat sa isip ko yung mga award ko. Kini-keep ko yan, chini-cherish ko yan. Pero never umakyat sa isip ko yang mga na-achieve ko," said Fajardo.
Aguilar finished runner-up behind Fajardo with 664 total, boosted by his 77 points value in topping the players' votes. But he finished no. 4 in statistics with 335 and second in media votes with 252.
Fajardo won the award despite San Miguel missing the finals after being booted out by Aguilar and Ginebra in the semis, 4-2.
Meanwhile, Hollis-Jefferson had a total of 1221 points after emerging no. 1 in statistics with 663, and media votes with 491. He placed second behind Brownlee in the players' votes with 67, but not enough to deny him his second Best Import award in the Governors' Cup.
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Brownlee totaled 947 as he emerged no. 1 in players' votes with 93, while finishing second in both the statistics with 588 and media votes with 266.
Scottie Thompson of Barangay Ginebra came in third in the BPC race (465) followed by Arvin Tolentino of Northport (421), Robert Bolick of NLEX ( 401), and San Miguel's CJ Perez (366).
In the Best Import award, Rain or Shine's Aaron Fuller finished with 590 and EJ Anosike of San Miguel with 548. (RG)
