Fajardo tipped to nail BPC plum

MANILA, Philippines — San Miguel Beer behemoth June Mar Fajardo looms as the heavy favorite as the PBA hands out the Philippine Cup Best Player of the Conference award tonight at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The awarding precedes Game 4 of the best-of-seven finals between San Miguel and TNT, which is facing a 2-1 deficit.

Fajardo, back in fiery form after getting sidelined by a shin injury in 2020, is in hot contention for the BPC as he topped the stats race with 41.5 average statistical points.

The 6-foot-10 Fajardo averaged 18.6 points, a league-best 13.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.4 blocks from the eliminations to the semifinals to make a strong case for a record-extending ninth BPC plum.

The six-time MVP leads a five-cornered fight against teammate CJ Perez (39.3 SPs), Barangay Ginebra’s Scottie Thompson (37.8 SPs), TNT’s Mikey Williams (34.7) and another Gin Kings star, Japeth Aguilar (33.1 SPs) for the top individual plum.

The winner of the BPC will be determined by stats value plus votes from the media, players and the PBA.