San Miguel Beer’s June Mar Fajardo has once again made history, securing his ninth Most Valuable Player award in Season 49 of the Philippine Basketball Association’s Leo Awards held at Novotel Manila on Sunday.
The 6’10” Fajardo, who led the Beermen to the Philippine Cup title and earned two Best Player of the Conference plums, was the hands down choice for the top individual honor, dominating the league with 42.1 statistical points and owning a PBA record that will be hard to topple for generations.
His impressive averages of 19.2 points, 15.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.0 block outshone fellow MVP contenders Arvin Tolentino of NorthPort and Robert Bolick of NLEX.
It was Fajardo’s third consecutive MVP award, a powerful comeback after a career-threatening shin injury in 2020 interrupted his istreak of six straight MVP titles from 2014 to 2019.
Fajardo’s defensive prowess was also recognized with a spot on the All-Defensive Team, which includes Zavier Lucero, Ginebra’s Stephen Holt, TNT’s Glenn Khobuntin, and NorthPort’s Joshua Munzon.
With the MVP win, Fajardo also earned his 10th First Mythical Team selection, joining an elite group of PBA legends including Ramon Fernandez (13), Alvin Patrimonio (10), and former teammate Arwind Santos (10) as only the fourth player to achieve this feat at least 10 times.
The First Mythical Team also features Tolentino, Bolick, San Miguel Beer’s CJ Perez, and TNT’s Calvin Oftana, who made it to to the elite list for the first time.
Oftana helped the Tropang 5G nearly achieve a Grand Slam, though they ultimately fell to the Beermen in the All-Filipino finale.
The Second Mythical Team is headlined by former MVP Scottie Thompson of Barangay Ginebra, alongside his teammate Japeth Aguilar, TNT’s Roger Pogoy, Magnolia’s Zavier Lucero, and Converge’s Justin Arana.
Barangay Ginebra emerged as the top team in terms of individual awards, with four of their players receiving honors. RJ Abarrientos was named Rookie of the Year, surpassing Rain or Shine’s Caelan Tiongson, Phoenix’s Kai Balunggay, and Blackwater’s Sedrick Barefield. Abarrientos played a crucial role in Coach Tim Cone’s strategy, helping Ginebra reach the finals of the first two conferences with averages of 12.7 points, 3.6 assists, and 2.8 rebounds.
Joshua Munzon also received two awards, including the Most Improved Player.
Rounding out the awardees is Rain or Shine’s Gian Mamuyac, who was honored with the Samboy Lim Sportsmanship Award.
