June Mar Fajardo

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In this Philippine name, the family name is Fajardo.
June Mar Fajardo
June Mar Fajardo - 2015-1111.jpg
Fajardo with San Miguel in 2015
No. 15 – San Miguel Beermen
PositionCenter
LeaguePBA
Personal information
Born (1989-11-17) November 17, 1989 (age 32)
Compostela, Cebu, Philippines
NationalityFilipino
Listed height6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight250 lb (113 kg)
Career information
High schoolPinamungajan National High School
CollegeUniversity of Cebu
PBA draft2012 Round: 1 / Pick: 1st overall
Selected by the Petron Blaze Boosters
Playing career2011–present
Career history
2011–2012San Miguel Beermen (ABL)
2012–presentPetron Blaze Boosters / San Miguel Beermen
Career highlights and awards
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  Philippines
FIBA Asia Championship
Silver medal – second place 2013 Manila Team
FIBA Asia Cup
Bronze medal – third place 2014 Wuhan Team
SEABA Championship
Gold medal – first place 2017 Quezon City Team
Southeast Asian Games
Gold medal – first place 2019 Philippines Team

June Mar S. Fajardo (Tagalog: [pɐˈhaɾdo]; born November 17, 1989) is a Filipino professional basketball player for the San Miguel Beermen of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He is also known by his nickname "The Kraken” for his extraordinary size and finesse against opposing big men.[1]

Born in Compostela, he transferred with his parents to Pinamungajan at an early age, where he spent most of his younger and teen years. He played center for the University of Cebu Webmasters in the CESAFI and for the San Miguel Beermen in the ASEAN Basketball League before being selected as the first overall in the 2012 PBA draft by Petron Blaze Boosters. Despite his young age, Fajardo showed great potential and has been dubbed by local sports analysts as the Future of Philippine basketball. During his rookie season, he played for the national team and earned a silver medal at the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship for Gilas Pilipinas. In his first year in the PBA, he was selected to the All-Rookie Team and Second Mythical Team. Since then, he became the first person in league history to win the PBA Most Valuable Player award in six consecutive seasons, which he won from 2014 to 2019. He also became a mainstay of Gilas Pilipinas in international competition.

Professional career[]

Petron Blaze Boosters / San Miguel Beermen (2012–present)[]

Rookie year[]

He made his profesional basketball debut in the 2012-13 PBA Philippine Cup in a 102–86 loss against the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters where he finished with nine points and 13 rebounds and made only 5 of his 11 free throws.[2][3]

Fajardo struggled in the first two conferences of his rookie year, but he made remarkably improved in the third conference. In the semifinals of the 2013 PBA Governors' Cup against Rain or Shine, Fajardo scored 26 points in Game 2 who held up his own against opposing big men Beau Belga and J.R. Quiñahan. Petron went on to defeat the Elasto Painters, 3–1.

He made his PBA Finals debut against the San Mig Super Coffee Mixers in the 2013 PBA Governors' Cup Finals. In Game 4, Fajardo tallied 20 points and 26 rebounds in a 88–86 loss, the first time for a local player to achieve a 20–20 game since Eric Menk. The Boosters eventually lost to the Mixers in seven games.

Fajardo finished second in the Rookie of the Year voting, losing the award to number two overall pick Calvin Abueva. He was selected in the Mythical Second Team along with teammate Alex Cabagnot, Sonny Thoss, Cyrus Baguio and Marc Pingris.

Sophomore Year[]

As expected by many, Fajardo improved significantly by the start of the 2013-14 PBA Philippine Cup. He put together norms of 16.3 points, 14.9 rebounds and 2.5 blocks, winning his first Best Player of the Conference award.[4]

When Petron reverted to San Miguel Beermen, Fajardo changed his jersey number from 22 to 15. The Beermen fell short in the quarterfinals of the Commissioner's Cup after losing to Air21 despite having a twice-to-beat advantage in the series.

In the third conference, Fajardo was a man on a mission. Fajardo scored 26 points and grabbed 27 rebounds, marking his third career 20–20 game with his 27 rebounds two shy of the league record during that time. He led the Best Player of the Conference race with averages of 21.8 points, 16 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.4 blocks, but his team lost to eventual champion San Mig Super Coffee in the quarterfinals. As a result of the Beermen eliminated from title contention, Fajardo ended up losing the BPC to Ranidel de Ocampo.

Despite lacking team success in his sophomore season, Fajardo was able to rake several awards in the season-ending Leo Awards. He was the 2014 PBA Most Improved Player and was selected as member of the All-Defensive and Mythical First Team for the first time in his career. In only his second season in the league, he was named the 2014 PBA Most Valuable Player.[5]

2014–15 season[]

Fresh from his first PBA MVP award, Fajardo lorded the 2014-15 PBA Philippine Cup averaging 17.8 points, 12.3 rebounds and 2.0 blocks, including a season-high 36 points and 17 rebounds in a win against Columbian Dyip.[6] He won his second consecutive Philippine Cup Best Player of the Conference award. The Beermen ended the eliminations with a 9–2 record, tied with Rain or Shine Elasto Painters for the first seed, thus earning a first-round bye. They swept TNT in the semifinals in four games before defeating Alaska in seven to win his first-ever PBA championship.[7]

He dominated once again in the third conference, the 2015 PBA Governors' Cup where he won his second Best Player of the Conference award for the season and his first for an import-reinforced conference, averaging 15.6 points, 12.8 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks. The second-seeded Beermen defeated Rain or Shine in five games in the semifinals before asserting their mastery against Alaska by sweeping them in the Finals and win the Governors Cup which marks their 21st title in franchise history. Fajardo won his first Finals MVP along with his second championship with the Beermen.[8]

He went on to win his second consecutive Most Valuable Player award and Defensive Player of the Year for the season, along with a Mythical First Team and All-Defensive team selections and his first ever Samboy Lim Sportsmanship Award.[9]

2015–16 season[]

Fajardo continued his dominance in the following season after winning his first two championships. He secured another Best Player of the Conference award in the 2015-16 PBA Philippine Cup where he averaged 23.1 points, 14.4 rebounds, 1.8 blocks, and 1.6 assists a contest during the elimination round, including a career-high 43 points in a loss against Alaska.[10] Fajardo helped the Beermen finished second seed with a 9–2 record at the end of the elimination round. In the series-clinching win against Rain or Shine in Game 6 of the semifinals, Fajardo went down with a left knee injury which he suffered with seven minutes left in the third quarter on a rebound play against Jireh Ibanes. In Fajardo's absence, many stepped up including players on the bench and managed to squeak a come-from-behind win in Game 4 after being down 0–3 in their Finals rematch against Alaska. Fajardo made a surprise return in Game 5 where he quickly contributed 13 points and 4 rebounds while playing just 16 minutes. With Fajardo's assistance in limited minutes, the Beermen extended the series into a Game 7. San Miguel successfully completed their comeback by winning Game 7 where Fajardo went on to play 29 minutes, which he tallied team-high 21 points and 15 rebounds. The Beermen made history and became the first professional basketball team in the world to come back from an 0–3 series deficit, which was dubbed as the "BEERacle." Fajardo then called his injury a "blessing in disguise."[11]

Fajardo won his third PBA's Most Valuable Player award, tying the record of PBA legend Bogs Adornado. He was the first player to win the award in three consecutive seasons. He was also a member of Mythical First Team and received his second Sportsmanship Award.[12]

2016–17 season[]

In the 2016-17 PBA Philippine Cup, Fajardo was the centerpiece of an almost-perfect campaign in the elimination round after helping the defending champions to secure the top seed with a 10–1 record where he averaged 19.9 points, league-high 16 boards and 1.8 blocks per game, earning himself his fifth overall Best Player of the Conference award and third straight in the season-opening conference. With this feat, Fajardo tied former teammate and mentor Danny Ildefonso as the only players in PBA history with league-high five BPC citations.[13] In the semifinals, the Beermen dispatched rival TNT in seven games before defeating sister team Barangay Ginebra in five games to capture their third straight Philippine Cup title. Fajardo conspired with teammate and former MVP Arwind Santos in the title-clinching win, scoring 21 points each in Game 5 to capture the Perpetual trophy.

With the help of Best Import awardee Charles Rhodes along with Best Player of the Conference Chris Ross, Fajardo aided the Beermen to capture the second seed and eventually win their second consecutive championship of the season by conquering the 2017 PBA Commissioner's Cup after defeating TNT in six games. Fajardo was pivotal in the semifinals against the Star Hotshots where he matched up with opposing import Ricardo Ratliffe. Ratliffe called Fajardo "the best player he've ever played in Asia" after the series where the Beermen defeated the Hotshots, 3–1.[14]

After winning the first two championships of the season, San Miguel had the chance to capture their second Grand Slam which the franchise last won in 1989. At the start of the 2017 PBA Governors' Cup in a win against TNT where he scored 27 points and six rebounds, Fajardo strained his calf muscle and was out for a number of games while also opting out for national team duty in the FIBA Asia Cup. Despite the injury, Fajardo still managed to top the Best Player of the Conference race averaging 18.5 points, 10.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 2.0 blocks.[15] Due to import problems, the Beermen only managed to snag the sixth seed after a costly 101–104 loss against Meralco in the last game of the elimination round, giving them a twice-to-win disadvantage against eventual champions Barangay Ginebra which thwarted their Grand Slam bid in the quarterfinals. As the Beermen was out of title hunt, Fajardo lost the BPC award to rival big man Greg Slaughter despite leading the statistical points.[16]

As a result of his sustained dominance throughout the season, Fajardo copped his fourth Most Valuable Player award in a runaway fashion which tied him with all-time greats Ramon Fernandez and Alvin Patrimonio for league-record four MVP awards. He was the quickest to win his fourth MVP and the only player to receive the award in four consecutive seasons. He was also selected as member of the Mythical First Team and All-Defensive Team.[17]

2017–18 season[]

Fajardo remained unstoppable in the 2017-18 PBA Philippine Cup, averaging league-high 22.8 points along with 13.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 2.1 blocks to lead the Beermen to the top seed once again. He shattered record books by extending his reign as the Best Player of the Conference of the Philippine Cup for the fourth consecutive season, his sixth overall which is the most in league history.[18] The Beermen avenged their painful loss against Barangay Ginebra the previous conference which foiled their Grand Slam bid through a gentleman sweep in the semifinals. In the title-clinching game against Magnolia, Fajardo propelled the Beermen to a historic fourth straight Philippine Cup title where he poured a playoff career-high of 42 points and 20 rebounds to help his team overcome a 23-point deficit in the close-out Game 5. He earned the Finals MVP honors, averaging 24.4 points and 16.2 rebounds.[19]

Picking up where he left off last conference, Fajardo won his seventh Best Player of the Conference award in the 2018 PBA Commissioner's Cup, averaging 19.6 points, 11.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists. Despite only finishing sixth after the elimination round, the defending champion Beermen maneuvered their way into the Finals with the help of import Renaldo Balkman to set a date against sister team Barangay Ginebra. The Gin Kings successfully dethroned San Miguel in six games behind resident import Justin Brownlee. This was the Beermen's first Finals loss under head coach Leo Austria.

At the start of the 2018 PBA Governors' Cup, Fajardo suffered a shin injury that sidelined him for two months. He returned deep into the elimination round in a win against Rain or Shine, where the Beermen finished as the sixth seed but eventually lost to twice-to-beat Alaska in the quarterfinals.

Fajardo rewrote history books once again after receiving his fifth straight Most Valuable Player award after winning back-to-back BPCs in the first two conferences despite missing the majority of the Governors' Cup due to injury. He surpassed the league record he shared with Fernandez and Patrimonio last season, making him the record-holder for most career MVPs in the PBA. He once again led the Mythical First Team and received his fourth selection on the All-Defensive Team.[20]

2019 season[]

Following his record fifth MVP, Fajardo played the most games of his career in the 2019 PBA season with 61 games. His superiority in the Philippine Cup continued as he won his league-leading eight Best Player of the Conference award and fifth straight in the All-Filipino conference, norming league-high averages of 21.3 points and 13.9 rebounds per game. He tallied 40 points and 19 rebounds while shooting a near-perfect 14-of-15 from the field in a 113–107 win against Northport, his fourth 40-point game of his career. The Beermen ended the elimination round as the fifth seed with a 7–4 record due to the quotient system. In the semifinals, they defeated the top-seed Phoenix in five games. They went on to defeat Magnolia in the Finals in a grueling seven-game affair, capped off by a come-from-behind win in Game 7 led by Fajardo's 17 points and career-high 31 rebounds (league record for most rebounds by a local) to capture their historic fifth straight Philippine Cup title. Fajardo bagged his third career Finals MVP.[21]

The Beermen was in unfamiliar territory after finishing seventh seed in the 2019 PBA Commissioner's Cup with a 5–6 record as the returning former Best Import Rhodes struggled, which was eventually replaced by Chris McCullough later in the conference. With a new reinforcement, the seventh seed Beermen managed to defeat NorthPort despite having a twice-to-win disadvantage in the quarterfinals. They defeated Rain or Shine in the semifinals before conquering TNT in six games to reclaim the Commissioner's Cup.[22]

In the 2019 PBA Governors' Cup and another Grand Slam conquest at hand, Fajardo led once again in the Best Player of the Conference race with averages of 18.9 points, 13.6 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.2 blocks per game. The Beermen's import woes in the season-ending conference continued, closing the elimination round as the fifth seed with a twice-to-win disadvantage once again. Fajardo and company faced a familiar foe in eventual champions Barangay Ginebra which defeated the Beermen in the quarterfinals. Despite leading the BPC race, Fajardo lost the award to former teammate Christian Standhardinger after San Miguel's early exit and another failed Grand Slam bid.

Fajardo stretched his record to an unprecedented six MVPs after winning the league's highest individual award for the sixth consecutive season. He also made another round of Mythical First Team and All-Defensive Team selections.[23]

2020 season[]

Prior to the start of the 2020 PBA season, Fajardo suffered a complete fracture on his right tibia during team practice in February. The injury sidelined him for the season, as well as national team duties. With Fajardo's absence, along with the injury of all-star teammate Terrence Romeo, the defending champion Beermen was eliminated by Meralco in the quarterfinals of the 2020 PBA Philippine Cup, ending their five-year reign.[24]

National team career[]

Fajardo (leftmost) in 2014, during the FIBA World Cup

Fajardo was chosen to be part of the Smart Gilas 2.0 team, later known as Gilas Pilipinas, that was built for the 2014 World Championships.[25] After months of training that includes trips and scrimmages to Lithuania and New Zealand, Fajardo was included in the final 12-man lineup that would compete in the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship, the qualifier for the 2014 World Championships.[26] In his first game in international competition, Fajardo scored 2 points, grabbed 2 rebounds, and was called for 4 personal fouls in less than 9 minutes of action against Saudi Arabia. He then only scored a total of 1 point in his next 6 games. Ultimately, Gilas Pilipinas finished with a silver medal and automatically qualified for next year's World Championships.

When the Gilas Pilipinas prepared for the 2014 FIBA World Cup, he was again called up to be part of the training pool.

He was also part of the Gilas team which played in Wuhan, China for the 5th FIBA Asia Cup where they won the bronze medal. However, he was almost a non factor as he was still adjusting to the international game and style of play. After the FIBA Asia Cup, the Gilas training pool headed to Miami to kick start their long preparations for the 2014 World Cup and the 2014 Asian Games.

During his stint in the 2014 FIBA World Cup, Fajardo was consistent in his limited minutes on the court while providing energy and hustle coming off the bench as a reliever for Blatche. Due to his good performance, he was ranked second among all players in terms of Player Efficiency Rating (PER) behind Spanish NBA player Pau Gasol, and ranked higher than some NBA players in the PER rating. His breakthrough performance came in the team's last game against Senegal where Fajardo played his best game in the entire tournament. Fajardo had 15 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 assists as he provided hustle and muscle against the big men of Senegal most especially in the final quarter of regulation and overtime when Blatche was fouled out. In a team effort led by Fajardo and team captain Jimmy Alapag, the Philippines captured their lone win of the tournament and ended their campaign on a winning note.

Career statistics[]

PBA[]

Legend
  GP Games played   GS Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

As of the end of 2020 Season[27][28]

Season-by-season averages[]

Year Team GP MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2012–13 Petron / San Miguel 45 26.9 .564 .000 .586 9.3 .6 .5 1.3 12.1
2013–14 37 35.5 .549 .000 .628 14.2 1.4 .5 2.1 16.8
2014–15 54 35.0 .589 .167 .703 12.9 1.3 .4 1.7 17.4
2015–16 52 33.8 .573 .000 .658 12.2 1.3 .5 1.4 19.7
2016–17 56 32.6 .612 .250 .695 11.3 1.6 .4 2.0 17.2
2017–18 47 35.2 .601 .000 .668 12.4 1.6 .6 1.3 20.6
2019 61 33.3 .572 .250 .706 13.0 1.9 .6 1.5 18.9
Career 352 33.1 .582 .125 .668 12.2 1.4 .5 1.6 17.7

National team[]

Year Team GP MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2013 FIBA Asia Championship Philippines 7 4.3 .143 .000 .500 1.3 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.4
2014 FIBA Asia Cup 5 10.8 .273 .000 .750 2.2 0.4 0.0 0.2 1.8
2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup 5 13.0 .545 .000 .818 4.2 0.4 0.8 0.6 6.6
2014 Asian Games 7 – – – – 5.0 0.0 1.0 0.0 5.6
2017 SEABA Championship 6 14.3 .542 .000 .577 7.0 1.0 0.2 0.7 9.2
2017 FIBA Asia Cup 3 12.7 .375 .000 .750 3.0 0.0 0.3 0.3 6.0
2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup – Asian Qualifiers 10 18.2 .556 .000 .600 4.7 0.7 0.5 0.5 10.8
2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup 5 17.2 .478 .000 .812 5.0 0.6 0.8 0.4 7.0
2019 Southeast Asian Games 4 17.1 .657 .000 .750 10.0 1.0 0.5 0.3 15.3

References[]

  1. ^ "The 5 best nicknames in the PBA today". FOX Sports Philippines. June 15, 2018. Retrieved December 24, 2019.
  2. ^ Fajardo, Abueva top 2012 PBA draft Archived August 22, 2012, at the Wayback Machine Aug 19, 2012, Retrieved August 20, 2012
  3. ^ Brian Yalung (August 25, 2012). "PBA: Before Junmar, there was Bonel". Archived from the original on October 18, 2012. Retrieved October 10, 2012.
  4. ^ Dy, Richard (January 21, 2014). "Fajardo holds off Aguilar to keep lead in Best Player of Conference stats race – SPIN.PH". Archived from the original on February 26, 2014. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
  5. ^ Bracher, Jane (July 5, 2014). "Fajardo wins PBA MVP, lives an unexpected dream". Rappler. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  6. ^ "San Miguel Beermen 90 at Columbian Dyip 74". RealGM. November 19, 2014. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  7. ^ Giongco, Mark. "San Miguel wins elusive Philippine Cup title, escapes Alaska in Game 7". Inquirer. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  8. ^ Bracher, Jane. "San Miguel sweeps Alaska for 21st PBA championship". Rappler. Retrieved December 18, 2019.
  9. ^ "Fajardo pockets 2nd straight MVP award". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved December 18, 2019.
  10. ^ Bracher, Jane. "Alaska survives Fajardo's career-high 43 points to beat Beermen". Rappler. Retrieved December 18, 2019.
  11. ^ Bracher, Jane. "Fajardo injury a 'blessing in disguise' for Beermen". Rappler. Retrieved December 18, 2019.
  12. ^ "June Mar Fajardo won multiple awards". PinoyBoxBreak. Archived from the original on October 18, 2016. Retrieved October 18, 2016.
  13. ^ Evangelista, Cholo. "Kraken remains King: June Mar Fajardo snags 2017 PHL Cup BPC prize". SLAM Philippines. Retrieved December 18, 2019.
  14. ^ Ramos, Gerry. "Ricardo Ratliffe praises June Mar Fajardo, says SMB big man better than most imports in Korea". SPIN. Retrieved December 18, 2019.
  15. ^ Bacnis, Justine. "June Mar Fajardo leads BPC race". Tiebreaker Times. Retrieved December 18, 2019.
  16. ^ Leongson, Randolph. "Fajardo still leads Govs' Cup BPC race after semis". Inquirer. Retrieved December 18, 2019.
  17. ^ "June Mar Fajardo is Mr. MVP for fourth straight year". PBA.ph. Retrieved December 18, 2019.
  18. ^ "June Mar Fajardo appears unstoppable in BPC race". PBA.ph. Retrieved December 18, 2019.
  19. ^ Lising, Charmie. "Dominant game from June Mar Fajardo puts Beermen in record books". ESPN. Retrieved December 18, 2019.
  20. ^ Dioquino, Delfin. "June Mar Fajardo in class of his own with record 5th straight MVP". Rappler. Retrieved December 18, 2019.
  21. ^ Giongco, Mark. "San Miguel makes history with 5th straight Philippine Cup title, outlasts Magnolia in Game 7". Inquirer. Retrieved December 18, 2019.
  22. ^ Dioquino, Delfin. "San Miguel dispatches TNT in Game 6 to reclaim Comm's Cup crown". Rappler. Retrieved December 18, 2019.
  23. ^ "GOAT? Fajardo's dominance continues with 6th straight PBA MVP award". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  24. ^ "PBA: June Mar Fajardo out indefinitely after suffering injury in practice". CNN Philippines. February 5, 2020. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  25. ^ "Smart-Gilas announces 17-man roster for FIBA Asia Championship". rappler.com. February 7, 2013. Archived from the original on July 16, 2013. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
  26. ^ "Gilas Pilipinas lineup for FIBA-Asia Championships revealed". rappler.com. July 11, 2013. Archived from the original on August 20, 2013. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
  27. ^ [1] PBA-Online.net
  28. ^ [2] Real GM
Retrieved from ""