By REYNALD MAGALLON As if his trophy cabinet isn’t already full of silverwares, June Mar Fajardo added another feather to his cap, bagging a record-extending 10th Best Player of the Conference plum in a runaway fashion in the 2024 PBA Philippine Cup. The 6-foot-10 behemoth was awarded with the second of a back-to-back Philippine Cup-NUSTAR Resorts Cebu Best Player of the Conference trophy before the start of San Miguel’s Game 4 clash against Meralco in the Finals at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Wednesday, June 12. The league’s seven-time MVP bested teammate and Commissioner’s Cup winner CJ Perez, NLEX guard Robert Bolick, Barangay Ginebra Christian Standhardinger, and Rookie of the Year frontrunner Stephen Holt of the Terrafirma.

Fajardo was hardly contested for the plum, amassing a combined total of 1100 points from the statistics and votes from players and coaches and ladies and gentlemen covering the PBA beat. He got 472 points from the stats, 512 points from the media votes and 114 from the player votes The SMB main man actually led the statistical race at the end of the semifinals and his claim for the award was further solidified by the Beermen’s deep run in the playoffs that saw them get a chance to defend their title in the best-of-seven Finals. That was also the very same reason that denied second-running Holt and eliminations stats leader Bolick a shot at toppling the immovable Fajardo as the top player in the league.

Holt finished far second with a total.