June Mar Fajardo received his record-breaking sixth PBA Best Player of the Conference award in true June Mar Fajardo fashion.
During the brief ceremony before Game 4 Wednesday, Fajardo asked his San Miguel Beer teammates to join him at center court of the Smart Araneta Coliseum where he hoisted the BPC plum.
Humble as ever, the reigning four-time MVP credited his teammates, who he said made him the top player of the All-Filipino conference for the fifth straight year.
“I’m thankful to God for the blessings he has given me. Who would have thought I’d win so many BPCs? I’m also thankful to management, coaching staff, and especially my teammates. If not for them I wouldn’t get this record,” he said in Tagalog.
“Give credit to them. The BPC is just an award on paper, but the truth is they are all deserving.”
It is Fajardo’s record sixth BPC award, putting him ahead of mentor Danny Ildefonso for the most BPC plums. And the Beermen are now one win from a record fourth straight All-Filipino title.
Even with a commanding 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series, Fajardo warned the Beermen not to succumb to complacency against a dangerous Magnolia squad, which clawed back from a 20-point deficit to take the opener.
Fajardo knows there is still work to be done and the closer they get to the trophy, the tougher the competition gets.
“It’s still a long way to go. Magnolia won’t give it up that easily, they will fight to the end,” he said at the end of the match.
“We will try to finish it on Friday. We need to be ready. We need to make adjustments, but for now we need to rest and prepare for practice.”
“We can’t be complacent. We have to go hard to get the win,” he added.
