Fajardo wins BPC award; Travis named Best Import
Romeo Travis and June Mar Fajardo raise their awards. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
San Miguel Beer prized center June Mar Fajardo won the PBA Governors Cup Best Player of the Conference honors in runaway fashion, putting him in a good position to become the league’s first back-to-back PBA MVP awardee in 14 years.
Fajardo was bestowed the tourney’s coveted individual award to the roaring approval of the crowd shortly before Game Two of the Governors Cup best-of-seven finals at the Smart Araneta Coliseum Sunday.
In the same rites, Alaska Milk’s Romeo Travis was hailed Best Import, a close winner over San Miguel Beer’s Arizona Reid.
READ: Alaska import Romeo Travis beats AZ Reid for Best Import award
The most dominant player the PBA has seen in years, Fajardo bagged a second BPC plum in the season after also reigning over everybody in the Philippine Cup.
The 6-foot-10 behemoth became only the fourth player to win at least two BPC trophies in a season after Vergel Meneses in 1995, Danny Ildefonso in 2000 and 2001, and Mark Caguioa in 2011-12.
READ: Fajardo set to win back-to-back MVP trophies
With this may well come the season’s MVP trophy during the Leo Awards on Sunday.
Fajardo looks cinch to become only the league’s first back-to-back PBA MVP awardee since Ildefonso in 2000 and 2001.
READ: Ildefonso student Fajardo believes mentor still has it
The Cebuano gentle giant, 25 years old and only in his third season in the local pro league, is also the runaway leader in the stats race for the season’s MVP award.
The former University of Cebu star has a whopping cumulative statistical points average of 37.1, almost 10 clear of second-running Jayson Castro with 29.09.
At third is Greg Slaughter (29.07), followed by Asi Taulava (28.2), Paul Lee (28.1) and Romeo (27.89).
In the balloting, Fajardo is likely to be the hands-down choice as repeat MVP winner, making him only the fourth player named PBA MVP in two successive years.
Bogs Adornado was the league’s first back-to-back MVP winner in 1975-76, followed by Alvin Patrimonio in 1993-94 and Danny Ildefonso in 1999-2000.
Globalport’s Stanley Pringle, the season’s top draft pick, is cinch to win the Rookie of the Year award.
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