Fajardo in action.
ESPN picks 3 Pinoys
SEVEN-time PBA MVP June Mar Fajardo of San Miguel Beer was named as Asia’s Top 25 athletes for the 21st century.
In a report posted in the official PBA website, Fajardo was cited by leading worldwide cable sports channel ESPN for winning “seven MVP awards, the most in league history, and leading the San Miguel Beermen to 10 PBA championships.”
The 34-year-old pride of Compostela, Cebu, who earned th e monicker the “Kraken”, was cited by ESPN for his 10-time championship with the Beermen, four-time Finals MVP awards, 10-time Best Player of the Conference trophies, nine-time All-Star appearances, eight-time Mythical Five selection , Defensive Player of the Year plum, and gold medal in the 2023 Asian Games.
Known as ‘The Kraken,’ Fajardo has won seven MVP awards, the most in league history, and has led the San Miguel Beermen to 10 PBA championships,” ESPN said of the University of Cebu product.
“He has also suited up for the national team since the 2013 FIBA Asia Championships and has continued to be the best big man for Gilas Pilipinas – including the latest Olympic Qualifying Tournament,” it added.
“Fajardo’s consistent excellence and influence on Philippine basketball underscore his significant impact on the sport that Filipinos love.”
The 6-10 formner University of Cebu center is actually one of only three Filipino athlees who made the cut, according to the same report.
Aside from Fajardo, the other two Filipinos in the list are eight-division boxing champion Manny Pacquiao and Tokyo Olympics weightlifting gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz.
But Fajardo and formner NBA star Yao Ming of the Houston Rockets were the only basketball players who made it to the ESPN selection.
Yao, the 7-foot-6 Chinese cage legend selected No. 1 overall pick by Houston in the 2002 NBA draft, was listed at No. 2 behind Pacquiao.
Other notable athletes who made it to the elite list are baseball players I chiro Suzuki and Shohei Ohtani, football’s Son Heung-Min, Park Ji-Sung, tennis stars Naomi Osaka and Li Na, swimmers Sun Yang and Joseph Schooling, golfer Inbee Park, badminton players Lin Dan and Taufik Hidayat, among others.
