MORE than the arduous physical recovery June Mar Fajardo faces, San Miguel guard Alex Cabagnot hopes the five-time PBA MVP will be ready to cope psychologically as he prepares for a season without basketball.
"He had a successful surgery and his mental health is something to be thought of. Injuries like that, it's not just physical. It's mental also," Cabagnot said on Wednesday after SMB officials confirmed a SPIN.ph report that Fajardo has suffered a season-ending shin injury in practice on Monday.
Cabagnot knows the mental anguish an athlete goes through when dealing with long-term injuries, more so for Fajardo who is in the prime of his career ay age 30.
The gentle giant is poised to win unprecedented sixth straight PBA MVP award after leading San Miguel to two championships last season. Now he and the team face a season of uncertainty.
As well-wishes come in for Fajardo, Cabagnot hopes everyone should give Fajardo some space to recuperate and get his bearings back.
"We're giving him some time. I'm pretty sure everyone messaged him. He's going through a tough time right now so we try to give him some space and we have him on our prayers. We'll just give him our 100-percent support," he said.
For now, the Beermen will have to move forward with the team keeping Fajardo in their thoughts.
"We're just gonna try to do our best for June Mar. We wish he was here. He's such an awesome player and a great person to be around and we just miss him," he said.
"Obviously we want to do a lot of things, win the championship, our sixth straight, and the other things that we want. But I don't think it's important right now," he added. "I know he's probably thinking about a lot of stuff but we're keeping him in our prayers for his speedy recovery."
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