There are moments in sports when the final chapter of a great career feels less like an ending and more like a celebration of everything that came before it. For Philippine basketball, June Mar Fajardo’s farewell from Gilas Pilipinas is exactly that kind of moment.
The nine-time PBA Most Valuable Player has officially closed the book on a remarkable 13-year journey with the Philippine national team, bringing an emotional conclusion to one of the most decorated international careers in the country’s basketball history. At 36, Fajardo has decided that the time has come to step away from national-team duty, leaving behind a legacy defined not only by championships and individual awards, but also by commitment, resilience and an unmistakable willingness to represent his country whenever he was called upon.
It is a fitting occasion for a player whose career has been built on consistency. Fajardo was never simply another talented big man. He became one of the defining figures of his generation, a towering presence who helped shape the identity of Philippine basketball for more than a decade.
His final appearance for Gilas Pilipinas came Sunday at Mall of Asia Arena, the same venue where his international journey began 13 years earlier. Facing Iran in the fourth window of the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers, the Philippines produced a 68-56 victory, giving Fajardo the perfect farewell. The result was significant for Gilas, but the emotional spotlight belonged to the veteran center.
For Fajardo, the night was about much more than statistics. He played only seven minutes and five seconds, finishing with six points and two rebounds, but his influence was felt during a crucial second-quarter stretch when Gilas fought its way back from a slow start. His presence helped ignite the comeback, and the Philippines carried a 36-34 lead into halftime before completing the victory.
That was perhaps the most appropriate way for Fajardo to leave.
He did not need a 30-point performance or a dominant double-double. He did what he had done throughout his international career: stepped onto the floor, answered the call and contributed whenever his team needed him.
After the final buzzer, Fajardo was handed the game ball by his teammates and coaching staff at center court. The crowd responded with chants of “M-V-P,” a fitting tribute to a player whose name has become synonymous with excellence in Philippine basketball.
The moment carried additional significance because of the symmetry surrounding his career. Fajardo began his Gilas journey against Iran in 2013 at the same Mall of Asia Arena. Thirteen years later, Iran was once again the opponent for his final international appearance, only this time the outcome was dramatically different. The Philippines walked away with a convincing victory while Fajardo walked away knowing he had given everything he could to the national program.
That full-circle ending is almost too perfect for a career that has contained so many unforgettable chapters.
Fajardo first emerged as one of the Philippines’ most dominant basketball prospects before becoming the cornerstone of the San Miguel Beermen in the PBA. His combination of size, strength, soft hands, rebounding ability and interior scoring transformed him into one of the most difficult players in the league to defend.
But his influence extended well beyond the PBA.
When the national team needed a reliable interior presence, Fajardo was there. When the Philippines faced powerful opponents across Asia, he was there. When the national team competed on the biggest international stages, he was there.
His Gilas career included three FIBA World Cup appearances and 70 games at the senior FIBA level. He also represented the Philippines in numerous Asian and Southeast Asian competitions, collecting medals along the way. His international résumé includes gold at the 2023 Asian Games, a breakthrough achievement that ended the Philippines’ 61-year wait for a men’s basketball gold medal at the continental event.
That Asian Games triumph remains one of the brightest moments of Fajardo’s international career.
The Philippines entered the tournament carrying enormous expectations, and Fajardo was once again part of the veteran core expected to provide stability when the pressure became overwhelming. The gold medal represented more than another trophy. It was a historic achievement for Philippine basketball, and Fajardo was one of the players who helped make it possible.
His national-team career also included the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup and two subsequent World Cup appearances, including the 2023 tournament hosted in the Philippines. For a player who spent more than a decade answering the national-team call, the opportunity to compete in a World Cup on home soil represented another unforgettable chapter.
Yet perhaps the most impressive part of Fajardo’s story is that his career survived moments when it appeared his playing days could be over.
In 2020, Fajardo suffered a career-threatening fracture to his right tibia. At the time, the injury raised serious questions about whether he would ever return to the basketball court. Fajardo himself acknowledged that he feared his career might be finished.
Instead, he came back.
That comeback became one of the defining examples of his determination. Fajardo returned to basketball and eventually returned to the national team, giving himself another opportunity to wear the Philippine colors.
FIBA noted that the injury had once left Fajardo believing he might never play basketball again. His return to Gilas therefore carried an added layer of meaning. He was not simply extending his career; he was making the most of a second opportunity that he once believed he would never receive.
That mentality has been central to Fajardo’s identity.
He has never been the type of player who needed to dominate every possession to demonstrate his importance. His value often came through positioning, physicality, rebounding, screening, interior defense and the ability to occupy space. His presence changed how opponents approached the paint.
For years, opposing teams had to account for the 6-foot-11 center whenever he stepped onto the court. His size gave Gilas an important interior option, while his experience allowed him to remain composed in difficult situations.
And while the game has increasingly moved toward perimeter shooting and positionless basketball, Fajardo represented something timeless: the value of a dominant traditional big man who understands how to use his body, establish position and make the right play.
His importance to Philippine basketball cannot be measured solely by points and rebounds.
It can be measured by the number of times he answered the national-team call.
It can be measured by the tournaments he played.
It can be measured by the younger players who watched him and learned from him.
It can be measured by the reaction of fans who filled the arena to watch him take his final bow.
And it can be measured by the emotion surrounding his departure.
Fajardo’s decision to retire from Gilas did not come suddenly. He had already informed the team that he intended to step away after the previous window, with age and his physical condition becoming increasingly important considerations. Head coach Tim Cone persuaded him to return for one more window because of the team’s frontline situation, and Fajardo agreed.
That decision ultimately gave Philippine basketball one last opportunity to see its longtime big man in national colors.
Fajardo admitted that he still wanted to play basketball, but the demands of international competition had become more difficult for his body. The decision was not about losing his love for the game. Instead, it was about recognizing that a career built over many years requires difficult choices.
That honesty makes his retirement especially meaningful.
Great athletes often struggle to recognize when the time has come to step away. Fajardo appears to understand that his legacy is already secure. He does not need to continue until his body forces him to stop. He can leave the national team on his own terms, after giving everything he had.
“Ito na ’yon. Ito na talaga,” Fajardo said after the final game, acknowledging that he could feel the moment had arrived. He also expressed gratitude that he was able to retire at home.
There is something powerful about that statement.
For 13 years, Fajardo carried the expectations that come with representing the Philippines. He experienced victories, defeats, injuries, comebacks and unforgettable moments. He watched the national team evolve around him and eventually became one of its most recognizable veterans.
Now, the responsibility shifts to a younger generation.
Players such as Kai Sotto, Kevin Quiambao, Carl Tamayo, AJ Edu, Dwight Ramos and Juan Gomez de Liaño represent the future of Gilas Pilipinas, and Fajardo’s departure creates an opportunity for those players to establish their own identities within the national program.
That transition is inevitable in sports.
Every generation eventually gives way to another.
But the players who leave behind a lasting legacy make that transition easier because they have already shown younger athletes what commitment to the national team should look like.
Fajardo leaves with his reputation firmly established. He is a nine-time PBA MVP, a 12-time PBA champion and one of the most accomplished players Philippine basketball has produced. His dominance in the PBA and his longevity with Gilas have made him a figure whose influence will continue long after his final national-team appearance.
His nickname, “The Kraken,” became synonymous with his imposing presence on the basketball court. But behind the intimidating physical profile was a player whose career was also characterized by humility and gratitude.
That combination made him especially popular with Filipino fans.
They did not simply celebrate Fajardo because he won awards. They celebrated him because he represented something bigger than individual success.
He represented perseverance.
He represented national pride.
He represented the willingness to sacrifice for the team.
And perhaps most importantly, he represented the idea that greatness is not always about one spectacular moment. Sometimes greatness is about showing up year after year, tournament after tournament, and continuing to give everything you have.
That is why a simple Throwback Tuesday tribute can carry so much weight when it is dedicated to June Mar Fajardo.
Looking back at his career is not merely looking at an impressive collection of trophies and accolades. It is looking at an era of Philippine basketball through the career of one of its central figures.
From his early days with Gilas to the World Cup stages, from the Asian Games gold medal to his triumphant comeback from injury, Fajardo’s story has been filled with moments that will remain part of Philippine basketball history.
And now, the final image has arrived.
A packed Mall of Asia Arena.
A 68-56 Gilas victory over Iran.
A game ball lifted above his head.
Teammates surrounding him.
Fans chanting “M-V-P.”
And June Mar Fajardo standing at center court, taking in the final moments of a 13-year national-team journey.
It was not a goodbye filled with sadness alone. It was a celebration.
A celebration of a career that endured.
A celebration of a player who repeatedly answered the call.
A celebration of a champion who helped bring historic success to Philippine basketball.
And a celebration of a genuine icon whose name will remain connected to the growth and evolution of Gilas Pilipinas.
Fajardo’s retirement from the national team marks the end of one chapter, but it does not erase what he accomplished. His legacy has already been written in championship banners, medals, memorable performances and the memories of millions of Filipino basketball fans.
The next generation will eventually create its own stories.
But when those players look back at the foundation built by those who came before them, June Mar Fajardo will be impossible to overlook.
He was there for 13 years.
He played 70 senior-level FIBA games.
He appeared in three World Cups.
He helped the Philippines win historic medals.
He battled through a devastating injury.
He returned when many wondered if he could.
And when the time finally came to step away, he left the court with his head held high and his country behind him.
That is the kind of farewell every athlete dreams about.
So, on this Throwback Tuesday, the message to June Mar Fajardo is simple: thank you.
Thank you for the battles.
Thank you for the championships.
Thank you for the comeback.
Thank you for the sacrifices.
Thank you for representing the Philippines with pride.
And thank you for giving generations of basketball fans memories that will last forever.
Happy retirement, June Mar Fajardo.
The numbers will tell part of the story. The trophies will tell another part. But the most important part will always belong to the fans who watched you play, cheered for you, believed in you and celebrated every time you wore the Philippine colors.
Your Gilas chapter may be over, but your legacy is nowhere near finished.
Philippine basketball will remember the big man.
The champion.
The survivor.
The leader.
The Kraken.
And, above all, the legend.
June Mar Fajardo’s final game for Gilas Pilipinas was not simply the end of a career. It was the closing scene of an extraordinary era — and one that Philippine basketball will never forget.
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