FROM 1 CEBUANO TO ANOTHER | June Mar Fajardo is 1st winner of PBA's Ramon Fernandez Trophy

With a new trophy presented by Mon Fernandez himself, June Mar Fajardo won his fifth Finals MVP award. PBA Images

By Ivan Saldajeno

PASAY--One can argue that a Cebuano being the first winner of a new PBA individual award named after a basketball legend also hailing from Cebu is a coincidence.

However, it is also a testament to the province's continual production of superstars of the game.

June Mar Fajardo was the hands-down pick by the PBA Press Corps as the MVP of the PBA Philippine Cup Finals.

Fajardo made history as he is now the winningest Finals MVP, winning his fifth plum on Sunday night to break a tie with Danny Seigle, LA Tenorio, and James Yap.

However, the latest one is more special and historic as the 6-foot-10 giant became the first winner of the Ramon Fernandez Trophy.

The group of reporters covering Asia's first play-for-pay cagefest collaborated with the 19-time league champ for the new award that replaced the old frame-like trophy.

Fernandez personally handed the award to Fajardo after San Miguel clinched the PBA Philippine Cup title in front of 14,201 fans at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.

As formally revealed during the awarding ceremony itself, the Ramon Fernandez Trophy was designed after his patented "Elegant Shot", arguably the predecessor to the modern-day floater.

Despite playing with injured shoulders since the Beermen's semifinal win against Barangay Ginebra and a right knee injury in Game 5 of the finals against the TNT Tropang 5G, Fajardo's numbers were solid, averaging 19.7 points, 18.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1 block per game.

The defining moment came in Game 6, where Fajardo, despite concerns about whether he would sit the game out, instead, thanks to his bum knee, dominated with a monster performance of 29 points, 23 rebounds, two assists, one block, and two steals.