LEO AVENIDO of the San Miguel Beermen was named Most Valuable Player by the Asean Basketball League (ABL) for this season.
Avenido beat out the Philippine Patriots’ Al Vergara and Indonesia Warriors’ Mario Wuysang in the voting for the coveted award handed out to the best local player.
“I'm very grateful. I thank all the coaches who voted for me, whoever made me MVP, I thank you very much,” said Avenido in a statement published in the league’s website. “I play hard and play as aggressive in every game. I always try to do my best.”
“Of course, every player dreams of winning the MVP award... from the ABL, in every league in the world like in the NBA, it’s the same,” he added.
Avenido and his Beermen are a win away from the ABL title as they battle the Warriors in a deciding Game Three on Saturday.
“It’s a dream to win this but the most important thing is still the championship, and that is a team effort,” Avenido said.
It marked the first time Avenido was in the running for a local MVP award after previously playing as import for the Brunei Barracudas and the Singapore Slingers, respectively.
Avenido was acquired by the Beermen at the start of the season and led all locals in scoring with an average of 14.9 points, including a 33-point performance against the Bangkok Cobras last March 18.
“Leo played like an import for us early in the season,” said San Miguel Beermen coach Bobby Parks.
Noli Eala, San Miguel Corporation’s sports director, first reported Avenido running away with the award through his Twitter account, @NoliEala.
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