Last hurrah? Revisiting June Mar Fajardo’s best Gilas Pilipinas performances

Few players have been as constant a presence for Gilas Pilipinas as June Mar Fajardo.

In fact, the 6-foot-10 big man is one of only two Filipino players who have represented the country in three FIBA World Cup editions as Fajardo shares the distinction with close friend Japeth Aguilar.

Fajardo has also seen action four times in the FIBA Asia Cup, twice in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament, twice in the Asian Games, and twice in the Southeast Asian Games since he first joined the national team in 2013.

But his days with Gilas Pilipinas are nearing their end as head coach Tim Cone bared that the reigning nine-time PBA MVP has already expressed his desire to retire from national team duties, with the fourth window of the Asian Qualifiers for the 2027 World Cup likely to be his swan song.

“June Mar wanted to retire but we pulled him back in for the window, although he is doubtful for the Asian Games,” said Cone on August 14.

So as Fajardo, who has Father Time calling at 36, soon draws the curtains on his international career, we look back at five of his finest and most impactful performances for the national team:

vs Senegal in the 2014 FIBA World Cup

In 2014, Gilas Pilipinas proved it belonged upon its return to the World Cup after a 36-year absence as it went neck and neck with established European and Americas teams. 

A win, however, proved elusive, with the Philippines losing to Croatia, Greece, Argentina, and Puerto Rico by an average of just 5.8 points.

But the breakthrough victory came in the Filipinos’ final game of the tournament as they hacked out an 81-79 overtime victory over Senegal, largely thanks to the emergence of Fajardo.

Then the youngest member of the squad at 24, Fajardo turned in his finest performance in a national team uniform at that point, posting 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting to go with 9 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals.

Fajardo logged 32 minutes to match his playing time in the previous four games combined and backstopped team stars Jimmy Alapag (18 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists) and Andray Blatche (18 points and 14 rebounds).

That win marked the Philippines’ first in the World Cup in 40 years, or since it defeated the Central African Republic, 87-86, in the 1974 edition. 

vs Chinese Taipei in the 2018 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers

Already a four-time PBA MVP by 2018, Fajardo often came under fire whenever he donned the national colors, with fans questioning why he struggled to translate his dominance to the international stage.

But Fajardo proved his worth in a 93-71 road blowout of Chinese Taipei as he churned out a game-high 22 points, which remains his highest scoring game in FIBA play. 

Fajardo shot an ultra-efficient 9-of-12 clip and also pulled down 4 rebounds, doing so in just a little under 21 minutes off the bench. 

That performance earned the admiration of then-coach Chot Reyes, who praised Fajardo for his willingness to accept any role. 

“June Mar has every right to demand to start, but for him it does not matter. He comes in and he does his job whether that means starting or coming off the bench,” said Reyes. 

The fate of the national team, though, changed dramatically a couple of days later, when Gilas Pilipinas figured in an all-out brawl with Australia at the Philippine Arena, a game in which Fajardo ended up as one of only three Filipino players who were not ejected. 

vs Dominican Republic in the 2023 FIBA World Cup

Fajardo held his own against a bona fide NBA star in Karl-Anthony Towns as the Philippines nearly took down Dominican Republic in the opening game of its World Cup co-hosting in 2023, suffering a narrow 87-81 defeat.

Guarded by Towns and former NBA player Angel Delgado, Fajardo found cracks in the Dominicans’ defense and tallied 16 points on a perfect 5-of-5 shooting on top of 7 rebounds. 

Fajardo played so well that Reyes could only lament that the team did not turn to the Cebuano giant more down the stretch, especially after the exit of naturalized star Jordan Clarkson.

Clarkson put up 28 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block but fouled out with 3:30 minutes to play.

“Very efficient player. 28 minutes, 16 points, did not miss a shot,” Reyes said of Fajardo. “There was something I was disappointed about towards the end, we wanted to go to him a lot more.”

Losses to Angola, Italy, and South Sudan followed as Gilas Pilipinas teetered on the brink of another winless campaign after its forgettable run in the 2023 edition where it finished dead last with a 0-5 record, but it wrapped up the tournament on a high note with a 96-75 drubbing of China.

Fajardo supplied 9 points, 4 rebounds, and 1 steal against the Chinese. 

vs Iran in the 2023 Asian Games

Gilas Pilipinas almost did not end a decades-long title drought in the Asian Games in 2023 following a couple of close shaves, including a near-collapse against Iran in the quarterfinals.

Up by as many as 21 points, the Filipinos frittered away that sizable lead and even trailed in the closing minutes before they restored order, with Fajardo playing a pivotal role in the thrilling 84-83 escape.

Fajardo delivered 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting to go with 8 rebounds and 4 assists, including a couple of big plays in the endgame.

He grabbed the last of his five offensive rebounds and scored on a contested short stab to regain the upper hand for the Filipinos at 82-81.

Although Iran reclaimed the lead, 83-82, Justin Brownlee saved the day for the Philippines with a baseline jumper, which turned out to be the game-winning basket. 

Fajardo then tipped the ball to Calvin Oftana after an Iran miss in the ensuing possession as Gilas Pilipinas ran out the clock to seal the victory that propelled it to the Asian Games semifinals for the first time in two decades.

The Nationals went on to capture their first Asian Games gold medal since 1962 by escaping host China in the semifinals and overcoming Jordan in the finale.

vs Latvia in the 2024 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament

Fajardo also played a key role in one of the biggest and arguably most improbable triumphs in recent memory when the Philippines stunned Latvia in the OQT.

All signs pointed to the Latvians not only winning but beating the Filipinos handily — they enjoyed homecourt advantage, were only a year removed from reaching the quarterfinals of the World Cup where they narrowly lost to eventual champion Germany, and were then ranked No. 6 in the world. 

But the Philippines defied great odds as it earned an 89-80 upset for its first victory over a European team in an official FIBA competition in over six decades, or since it scraped past Spain, 84-82, in the 1960 Rome Olympics.

Logging 30 minutes as a starter, Fajardo chalked up 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting to emerge as one of five Filipino players in double-figure scoring. He also contributed 5 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 assists, and 1 block in an all-around showing that saw him finish with the highest plus-minus of +18. 

Fajardo did most of his damage in the opening quarter, where he scattered 7 points and 3 rebounds to help set the tone as the Philippines built a commanding 32-16 lead. 

That stunning win paved the way for the Philippines to reach the semifinals, where it eventually lost to Brazil, which capitalized on the absence of injured big man Kai Sotto to advance to the finals and beat Latvia for the Olympic spot. 

But even without Sotto, the Philippines put up a fight in the 71-60 loss to the Brazilians, with Fajardo submitting a double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds with 2 assists.

Passing the torch

Fajardo joined the national team at a time when local players of his size and skills were hard to come by.

Now that Gilas Pilipinas already has a bevy of young and talented bigs at its disposal in Sotto, AJ Edu, Quentin Millora-Brown, and Mike Phillips, Fajardo is ready to pass the torch.

And there is so much the next generation can learn from Fajardo, whose remarkable availability — more than 80 appearances across 13 years — and selfless, team-first approach helped define an era of Gilas Pilipinas. – Rappler.com