JUNE Mar Fajardo is a mama's boy.
Everybody knows it and no one would dare question it. How can you when the gentle giant even once wore a shirt with a picture of him hugging his mother Marites and the words #mamasboi plastered on the back.

But the 6-foot-10 slotman, who won five PBA MVP trophies in six years and this early has established himself as one of the best basketball players the country has ever seen, said he wouldn't be in this position if not for his father.
"Si Papa ang dahilan kaya ako nandito," he said of his father Bonifacio.
The San Miguel star definitely didn't get his height from dad, but he did inherit his comedic bones and jovial demeanor. It was the elder Fajardo who prodded the gangly June Mar to test his mettle in basketball.
The young Fajardo followed his father as they walked in at the University of Cebu gym, hoping that anyone would notice enough to take the chance on him.
"Pumunta kami ng UC para mag-try out. Gusto lang ni Papa na makakuha ako ng scholarship, kahit Team B lang," he recounted.

At that time, Fajardo really had no interest in basketball.
Only his father, who also goes by the name of Jun, saw the potential in his unusually tall son is, envisioning that someday, he could be like the players he watched on TV like Danny Ildefonso of San Miguel.
But it wasn't easy, especially with June Mar being as green as a lato.
"Nanonood si Papa sa gilid habang nagpa-practice kami. Tapos nahihirapan ako sa mga plays, napapayuko na lang siya. Siguro nasa isip niya, sana siya na lang yung nasa lugar ko kasi naiintindihan niya yung basketball," he said.
It was easy to quit, but June Mar needed only to look at his father to know that wasn't an option. Soon enough, Webmasters coach Rhoel Gomez saw what the elder Fajardo saw.
Eventually, June Mar got the hang of it and turned into a three-time Cesafi MVP, winning two titles for UC. That served as a springboard for a professional career that is now too good to be true.
Success has led to a better life. And that, for June Mar, is the best way to repay all the sacrifices his father Jun did for him.
"Yun ang pinakamagandang nairegalo ko sa kanya, yung maging successful ako sa buhay at suklian yung mga sakripisyo at unconditional love niya sa akin," he said. "Na-realize ko na hindi material things ang pwede ko lang iregalo sa parents ko kundi yung time na nase-spend ko sa kanila at syempre, yung love ko sa kanila."

That's why no matter how successful Fajardo gets, he'll always be grateful for his father for making him the man that he is.
"Wala ako dito kung hindi dahil sa Papa ko."
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