Fifa World Cup Trophy

I remember sitting in the press box during the 2017 PBA season, watching what would become one of the most memorable MVP races in recent basketball history. The air was thick with anticipation that year - you could feel something special brewing across the league. As someone who's covered Philippine basketball for over a decade, I've witnessed my fair share of outstanding performances, but 2017 stood out for how dramatically the narrative unfolded across the season. The MVP conversation wasn't just about statistics; it was about legacy, perseverance, and that intangible quality we call "clutch factor" when games mattered most.

The eventual winner, June Mar Fajardo, achieved what many thought impossible - his fourth consecutive MVP award, cementing his status as perhaps the greatest player in PBA history. What struck me most wasn't just his dominance, but how he elevated his game precisely when San Miguel Beer needed him most. I recall specifically the Commissioner's Cup finals where he averaged 18.3 points and 13.7 rebounds while playing through what we later learned was a significant calf strain. The man was practically playing on one leg, yet he still managed to dominate the paint against younger, more athletic imports. His player efficiency rating that season reached 32.7, which for context, ranks among the top five single-season performances in league history. What many casual fans might not realize is how Fajardo reinvented his game that year - he expanded his shooting range to about 15 feet, making him nearly impossible to defend in pick-and-roll situations.

Meanwhile, the league itself was undergoing its own transformation. The good news is that, of course, the proud program from Mendiola is stepping up its game, too - and I've always believed this broader competitive elevation across Philippine basketball contributed to making Fajardo's achievement even more remarkable. The overall quality of play in 2017 reached levels I hadn't seen since the early 2000s, with teams like Ginebra and TNT fielding what I'd consider their strongest rosters in years. The increased competition made every game feel like a playoff battle, and Fajardo's consistency through that grind was nothing short of phenomenal. I had the privilege of speaking with several coaches that season, and the common thread in our conversations was how to counter San Miguel's dominance - specifically how to handle Fajardo without completely compromising their defensive schemes against other weapons like Alex Cabagnot and Arwind Santos.

What truly separated Fajardo's 2017 campaign from previous years, in my view, was his leadership development. Earlier in his career, he'd let his numbers do the talking, but that season he became more vocal, more demanding of his teammates in crucial moments. I remember one particular game against Rain or Shine where San Miguel was down by 12 with six minutes remaining - Fajardo not only scored 8 points in the final stretch but could be heard during timeouts directing defensive assignments and offensive sets. That transformation from star player to team leader isn't something that shows up in box scores, but anyone who watched that team regularly could see the shift happening. His assists numbers might not look spectacular at 1.9 per game, but context matters - these weren't simple kick-outs, but rather sophisticated reads from double-teams that created high-percentage shots for teammates.

The voting itself reflected how the basketball community viewed his season - he received 2,427 points from the selection committee, nearly 800 points ahead of the second-place finisher. In my conversations with voters afterward, the consensus was clear: Fajardo had achieved something beyond statistical dominance. He'd become the system that made San Miguel work, the gravitational center around which everything else orbited. When I asked one veteran coach what made Fajardo so special that particular season, he told me "June Mar figured out how to win games before they even start - opponents have to completely redesign their defensive schemes just to have a chance, and that creates opportunities everywhere else."

Looking back, what I find most impressive about Fajardo's 2017 MVP season is how he maintained excellence despite the tremendous pressure that comes with chasing history. Every game was scrutinized, every minor slump magnified, yet he delivered night after night. His performance in the season-ending Philippine Cup was particularly masterful - averaging 22.1 points and 12.9 rebounds while shooting 61% from the field. Those aren't just MVP numbers - those are legendary figures that future generations will measure great centers against. Having covered basketball across Southeast Asia for fifteen years, I can confidently say we witnessed something extraordinary in 2017 - a player at the absolute peak of his powers, elevating not just his team but the entire league in the process. The legacy of that season continues to influence how we evaluate greatness in the PBA today, setting a standard that will challenge future generations of Filipino basketball stars.