June Mar Fajardo wins his 8th PBA MVP Award.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

Also because June Mar Fajardo has not received more Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards than anyone else in PBA history, she has overcome her stage fright.

“I’m soaking wet,” Fajardo said in Filipino after winning his eighth MVP title before the league kicked off its 49th season on Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The gentle giant of San Miguel Beer had to remove his team jacket several times, revealing his sweat-soaked black shirt, as he had to give an acceptance speech after extending his record haul, which now matches the total number of MVPs of Ramon Fernandez and Alvin Patrimonio, two former greats who have won four times each and are a distant second.

READ: June Mar Fajardo extends record with 8th PBA MVP

And aside from the Mythical Five Team and All-Defensive Team honors, Fajardo now has to think about what to do with the countless trophies and plaques he has won since joining the league 12 years ago.

Does this mean Fajardo has good reasons to take things slow as his career is likely coming to an end?

“In my mind, I haven’t won anything yet,” he said. “I don’t think I’ve won multiple MVPs, Mythical Team selections or any of the other accomplishments I’ve had so far. I think I just have to work hard every time and have the mindset that I want to win my first championship.”

He bested his Beermen teammate CJ Perez and Terrafirma newcomer Christian Standhardinger, who played with Barangay Ginebra last season, to secure his latest MVP title thanks to his consistent play throughout the 2023-24 season.

Peaks in SPs

Fajardo finished with 2,799 points after collecting 1,615 points from statistics, 855 media and 329 players, beating Perez (1,951) and Standhardinger (1,731) in the battle for the coveted individual trophy.

And Fajardo made it clear that he would like to extend his illustrious career as San Miguel enters the new season as the favorite to win at least one of the three conferences, starting with the Governors’ Cup, which at press time began with the clash between Meralco and Magnolia.

“I hope to win it again next year,” he told the crowd at the Big Dome, which also witnessed a star-studded opening ceremony that featured Olympians, athletes and celebrities serving as muses for the 12 PBA ballclubs.

Fajardo, Perez, Standhardinger, Meralco’s Chris Newsome and NorthPort’s Arvin Tolentino were named to the league’s Mythical First Team.

Rookie of the Year Stephen Holt, who is now with Ginebra after transferring from Terrafirma, Cliff Hodge of Meralco, Calvin Oftana of TNT, Juami Tiongson of Terrafirma and Jason Perkins of Phoenix made it to the second mythical team.

Other winners of the season include Jhonard Clarito of Rain or Shine as the player with the greatest improvement and Paul Zamar of NorthPort, who received the Samboy Lim Sportsmanship Award. INQ