PBA has seen a huge growth and potential in the basketball world since its inception. Over the years, many players have showcased their talent on the ultimate stage and put this league among the top not only in Asia but all over the world. Therefore, the Most Valuable Player award is presented to a player who performs exceptionally well throughout the season.
This blog will discuss the PBA most valuable player for the season 2022-2023, top contenders for this award after , benchmarks and selection criteria of most valuable player award, and the stats and performance of the most valuable player in the league that earned him the ultimate glory.
Fajardo from San Miguel bags the PBA most Valuable Player award for season 2022-23
The star player of San Miguel, June Mar Fajardo, achieved a remarkable feat by winning his seventh PBA Most Valuable Player award. Winning this award further extends his record of winning MVP award for the most number of times. Fajarado won this award in November 20203.
Fajardo has been an unstoppable force over the last 8 years and kept on winning the MVP award for the six consecutive times. However, Scottie Thompson broke Fajardo's streak of winning MVP awards.
However, Fajardo reclaimed his position as the league's best player this year after performing exceptionally well the whole PBA season.
June Mar Fajardo achieved another milestone by earning his 9th Best Player of the Conference (BPC) award during the Philippine Cup. Besides this, Fajardo led the Beermen to victory in the tournament, and he won the title and adding another milestone to his collection by winning the Finals MVP award.
June Mar Fajardo is on track to win his 8th PBA Most Valuable Player award and further prolonging his achievement. His outstanding performance has put him in the lead for this prestigious individual award.
Despite missing six games, Fajardo's contributions were crucial in helping San Miguel Beer win the PBA Season 48 Commissioner’s Cup title after all PBA results. He currently holds an impressive average of 40.9 statistical points, placing him ahead in the MVP race.
June Mar Fajardo 2022-2023 PBA Seaosn Performance
In the 2022 PBA Philippine Cup, June Mar Fajardo led the Beermen to the number one seed with an impressive 9-2 record during the elimination round. He showed outstanding performance throughout the season and earned his 9th Best Player of the Conference award, which is also his 7th in the All-Filipino Conference.
During this season, Fajardo also received his 7th MVP award and this is a new record for the most MVPs in the league's history. Besides this, he was selected for the Mythical First Team and the All-Defensive Team.
Fajardo National Team Performance 2022-23 Season
| Competition | GP | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 Asian Games | 7 | 21.4 | 0.58 | 0 | 0.93 | 5.7 | 1.7 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 9.0 |
| 2023 FIBA World Cup – Asian Qualifiers | 2 | 14.5 | 0.25 | 1.0 | 0.83 | 5.0 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 5.0 |
| 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup | 5 | 18.0 | 0.65 | 0 | 0.70 | 5.0 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 6.6 |
| 2022-2023 PBA | 46 | 35.4 | 0.59 | 0.50 | 0.67 | 13.5 | 2.9 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 17.7 |
Other Contenders for the Most Valuable Player Award
Besides Fajardo, many top players in the league were behind this prestigious award and their stats clearly define their hard work and performance in the PBA competitions. Standhardinger was phenomenal this PBA season and demonstrated his basketball skills. He averaged 16.5 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 5.0 assists during the conference, making a strong case for the MVP award.
Meanwhile, Perez had an outstanding season and his stats include an average of 16.9 points, 6 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 2.3 steals that means he was right up there for the contention for the MVP title as well.
Arvin Tolentino from NorthPort was also considered a strong contender for the PBA most Valuable Player award and his stats clearly backed him. Tolentino had an average of 22.4 points along with 5.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game, placing fourth in the race with 35.1 statistical points (SPs).
Calvin Oftana from Talk N Text was at 5th position in the race to the MVP Award. He had 34.1 SPs, an average of 21.8 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game.
The previous season's MVP, Scottie Thompson of Ginebra, holds the sixth spot with 31 SPs, while other notable players in the mix include Chris Newsome from Meralco (28.5 SPs), Jio Jalalon from Magnolia (28.4 SPs), and Thompson's teammates Maverick Ahanmisi (27.60 SPs) and Jamie Malonzo (27.58 SPs) after all PBA results of 2023 season.
Rookie Player of the Year Award Race
Now talking about the Rookie of the Year award race, Terrafirma's Stephen Holt is currently leading with 24 Statistical Points as he has an average of 12.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game. Behind Holt, Cade Flores from NorthPort is at second position with 22.4 statistical points, Ken Tuffin from Phoenix with 20.1 Statistical Points Kemark Carino from Terrafirma with 16.1 statistical Points, Fran Yu from NorthPort with 15.8 statistical points and Christian David from Blackwater 14.3 statistical points.
Benchmarks for the PBA Most Valuable Player Award
The Most Valuable Player award is given to a player who meets certain criteria and voting from different parties contributes to selecting this award. With time this criteria has been under criticism of partiality. So, changes were made with time to make this award more transparent and fair.
Current Criteria for MVP Award:
Three different factors contribute to the selection of a player for the winner of MVP player and adding to the PBA MVP list.
| Factor | Weightage |
|---|---|
| Average Statistical Points of a Player | 45% |
| Media & Press Votes | 30% |
| PBA Player votes | 25% |
PBA News 2024
