June Mar Fajardo adds another PBA Best Player trophy to loaded collection

MANILA, Philippines – With hardly any surprise, June Mar Fajardo is once again the Best Player of the Conference.

The San Miguel big man won the award for a record-extending 13th time on Wednesday, January 28, after another dominant campaign that saw him lead the Beermen to the top seed, and eventually, the finals of the 2025-2026 PBA Philippine Cup.

The statistics leader with averages of 16.5 points, 16.6 rebounds, and 4.4 assists through the semifinals, Fajardo was the clear-cut winner as he beat out veteran forward Calvin Abueva of Titan Ultra and rookie guard Juan Gomez de Liaño of Converge.

It marked the fourth time in the last five conferences that Fajardo earned BPC honors — a feat that further solidified his status as the most dominant player in the league and arguably the greatest player of all time.

No other player in PBA history has more than five BPC victories, with TNT icon Jayson Castro and San Miguel legend Danny Ildefonso tied at second behind Fajardo. 

With Fajardo showing the way, defending champion Beermen ended the elimination round as the No. 1 seed with a 9-2 record, made quick work of NLEX in the quarterfinals, and disposed of Ginebra in six games in the semifinals to arrange a finals rematch with the Tropang 5G. 

Practically an unstoppable force down low, the 6-foot-10 Cebuano recorded three 20-20 games this conference. 

Abueva, a two-time BPC winner, enjoyed a career resurgence at 37 years old as he led the Giant Risers with a league-leading 23.6 points to go 11.9 rebounds, 1.8 steals, and 1.2 steals, although Titan Ultra failed to reach the playoffs with a 4-7 record for ninth place. 

Meanwhile, Gomez de Liaño did not take long to announce his arrival in the league, churning out 19.0 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 6.7 assists to power the FiberXers to a 7-4 record and the No. 4 spot in his first-ever conference. 

Gomez de Liaño and Converge, however, missed out on a historic final four appearance after wasting a twice-to-beat advantage over the Gin Kings in the quarterfinals. 

Another FiberXers player, Justine Baltazar, and Magnolia forward Zavier Lucero also contended for the award. – Rappler.com