On a day when the Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings and the Magnolia Hotshots ushered in the PBA’s 50th season, it was June Mar Fajardo who first stole the show. 

We continue to live at a time when the PBA is Fajardo’s league and the rest are just playing in it. Even as other teams have stocked local and foreign talent and enhanced their rosters to counter him, the four-time PBA Finals MVP continues to find ways to succeed. 

Thanks to a combination of finesse and a power game, Fajardo has been able to age like fine wine. The former has been a critical part of his game, as it allowed him to thrive even when battling back from major injuries and nursing minor yet recurring ones. The power game continues to come in handy when he needs to prove a point. All of this is also on top of Fajardo’s duties with Gilas Pilipinas this year, which was not easy both on and off the court. 

Scottie Thompson was the only one other than Fajardo to have won an PBA MVP award in the last decade, and that was partly due to Fajardo missing time as he recovered from a complete fracture of his right tibia. That being said, any time Fajardo is healthy is more often than not a factor into the MVP campaign in the league. 

In a way, the narrative of Fajardo’s career can be defined by his ability to overcome challenges. From injuries to the new generation of players both local and foreign, how he has responded, or rather, pushed on has reflected in his production and the intangibles he provides for the San Miguel Beermen. The fractured tibia is the type of injury that can alter the direction of a player’s career, but it simply gave the Cebu native a renewed focus. 

Unlike many of the superstars who demand the ball and attention, Fajardo lets the game come to him. There are times when teams are dialed in on him, and so he uses this to draw the defense and create opportunities for his teammates. But then, there are moments when the matchup favors him and that’s when he has the greenest of lights to take the ball and do what he does best. 

As great and unprecedented this run has been for June Mar Fajardo, we’re admittedly inching closer to the end. His current MVP haul of nine is already a record that may never be broken and even if this ninth trophy has just entered his cabinet, the hunt for an unprecedented 10th MVP award has already begun. 

The chase for another individual award may not matter for a selfless guy like Fajardo, but his pursuit of another championship will naturally lead him to a shot at an MVP. After all, success breeds success.