MANILA, Philippines – For June Mar Fajardo, the team comes before himself.

Even as he received his ninth Best Player of the Conference (BPC) award on Sunday, August 28, Fajardo let his San Miguel teammates join him at center court at the Araneta Coliseum as he shared the honor with the entire squad.

So when a 100-87 loss to TNT in Game 4 of the PBA Philippine Cup finals spoiled his BPC coronation, the soft-spoken big man made it known individual accolades are not his priority.

“That is not my goal. My goal is for the team to win the championship,” Fajardo said in a mix of Filipino and English as the Beermen saw the Tropang Giga tie the best-of-seven series at 2-2.

“We lost now. We need to regroup.”

Fajardo has been walking the talk as he continues to show his desire to help San Miguel end its three-year title drought by averaging monster numbers of 20 points, 17.5 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks through the first four finals games.

He churned out 27 points and 27 rebounds in their Game 3 win and fell just a rebound short of his second straight 20-20 game after putting up 20 points and 19 rebounds in Game 4.

Still, the Beermen star is glad to have won another BPC plum, especially as it serves proof that he has successfully bounced back from a shin injury that kept him out for an entire year.

The six-time PBA MVP admitted the idea that he would not be able to regain his dominant form and play at the highest level crossed his mind.

“I needed to prove myself that I will not be beaten by my injury. Good thing I overcame that,” he said.

San Miguel looks to seize control of the title series once again when it tangles with TNT in the pivotal Game 5 on Wednesday, August 31, at the Araneta Coliseum. – Rappler.com