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BREAKDOWN | 2025 PBA LEO AWARDS


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June Mar Fajardo is on the brink of making history as the first—and maybe the only—PBA player to capture ten MVP awards. San Miguel remains one of the league’s powerhouse squads, and with June Mar still playing at an elite level, that’s a near-perfect recipe for stacking up individual honors.


Honestly, this might be The Kraken’s easiest MVP race yet, with Robert Bolick missing last season’s semifinals and Arvin Tolentino all but bowing out of contention after moving from NorthPort to Seoul SK Knights in the KBL.


But beyond the MVP chase, how do the other awards shape up?


Here’s my breakdown.



MOST VALUABLE PLAYER | JUNE MAR FAJARDO


What else is there to say? At this point, the only things that could keep June Mar off the MVP list are an injury, a disastrous San Miguel season, or him suddenly getting reduced minutes while another player dominates. Otherwise, it’s his award to lose.


Now, I’ve seen people online doubting him, pointing to his hit-or-miss performances in international tournaments. But context matters—he’s used differently in those games. And really, if we’re okay with the UAAP parading multiple imports, where are we supposed to find a local big man who can consistently relieve June Mar in the paint?


Look around Asia: most frontline players are in the 6’5” range. Meanwhile, many UAAP bigs are being molded into stretch forwards instead of traditional centers. Sure, we have Kai Sotto and AJ Edu carrying the torch now, but who follows after them? Once upon a time, guys like Carl Tamayo and Kevin Quiambao would have been PF/Cs. It’s crazy that they’re basically the same height as Jerry Codiñera and Benjie Paras.


That’s how shallow our big-man pool has become. Just think—Mario Barasi, who put up only 0.8 points and 1.8 boards for Adamson last season, was the first true UAAP center drafted in the 2025 PBA Draft after Geo Chiu… and Chris Koon, who’s technically a point forward.


So let’s get two things straight: first, lay off June Mar Fajardo. And second, when the time comes, lay off Kai and AJ Edu too. We can’t afford to burn out the few true big men we have.



MYTHICAL FIRST TEAM


C | JUNE MAR FAJARDO

F | ARVIN TOLENTINO

F | CALVIN OFTANA

G | ROBERT BOLICK

G | CJ PEREZ


This lineup feels pretty spot-on. June Mar Fajardo is a lock since the MVP automatically secures a spot. Arvin Tolentino also makes it in as the only other player to bag a Best Player of the Conference award. Calvin Oftana earns his place after helping TNT capture two championships this season.


Then you have CJ Perez. It’s tough to consider him seriously in the MVP race since he shares the floor with June Mar, but his consistency with San Miguel can’t be overlooked. For all the firepower on that roster, the only guys who truly posted steady high numbers were The Kraken and The Baby Beast.


Rounding out the team is Robert Bolick. Sure, his scoring dipped this season, but the difference is that people are finally starting to take NLEX more seriously with him leading the charge.


Honestly, I was a bit surprised the PBA still gave Tolentino a First Team slot—sometimes the league can get a little petty with players who bolt for overseas opportunities. I actually thought Scottie Thompson had a strong case, especially since Ginebra reached the Finals twice. But overall, I’m satisfied with the choices.



MYTHICAL SECOND TEAM


C | JUSTIN ARANA

F | JAPETH AGUILAR

F | ZAVIER LUCERO

G | SCOTTIE THOMPSON

G | RR POGOY


No surprises here—Scottie Thompson lands on the Second Team, though I honestly thought he had a strong enough case for the First. The same goes for Japeth Aguilar, who had to step up big time to cover for Christian Standhardinger’s absence. RR Pogoy also checks out, considering how steady he was in anchoring TNT from start to finish last season.


The real eye-openers are Justin Arana of Converge and Zavier Lucero of Magnolia. Both deserved recognition, but I didn’t expect the PBA to reward them this early in their careers. Lucero made enough of an impact to grab attention, while Arana had to battle through the arrival of his current frontcourt partner—last year’s top pick Justine Baltazar—who just came off leading Pampanga to back-to-back MPBL titles.


That’s why I’m really hoping Converge keeps pushing forward. Their Arana-Baltazar duo has the makings of a modern-day Limpot-Espino combo, and honestly, that’s the kind of frontline foil the SMC teams need.



ROOKIE OF THE YEAR | RJ ABARRIENTOS


Here’s my take—if Sedrick Barefield is going to get the award, then the PBA should also give serious consideration to Jordan Heading, who played seven more games than him, or Justine Baltazar, who logged the same number of games. The bottom line is, their teams played in more meaningful situations compared to Blackwater.


Now, if you put Barefield, Baltazar, and Heading’s totals together, that’s 77 games against RJ Abarrientos’ 70. And unlike Barefield, RJ’s run included multiple Finals appearances. That kind of exposure, combined with solid numbers, is why Abarrientos ultimately deserved the honor.


This isn’t 1992 anymore, when Bong Ravena edged Vergel Meneses despite averaging just five points per game. Barefield’s only real advantage is scoring. In almost every other category, RJ either leads outright or is basically tied within decimal points.



ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM


C | JUNE MAR FAJARDO

F | GLENN KHOBUNTIN

F | ZAVIER LUCERO

G | STEPHEN HOLT

G | JOSHUA MUNZON


This award has always been a bit subjective. More often than not, selections are based on players who “look” like defensive stoppers rather than those who actually back it up with stats. That said, I think the PBA got most of the names right this year—but I do have some reservations, especially when it comes to the forwards, and even June Mar Fajardo’s inclusion.


Take Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser, for instance. He only played 17 games, but still led the league in blocks with 1.9 per outing. And then there’s Arvin Tolentino, who quietly put up 1.4 steals and nearly a block per game (0.97). If Tolentino was good enough to earn MVP consideration, then he should absolutely have a spot on the All-Defensive Team as well.



MOST IMPROVED | JOSHUA MUNZON


I’ve always had issues with this award, because more often than not, it feels like it goes to players who were already destined to be stars. Joshua Munzon is one of them—his rise was inevitable. The same can be said for Zavier Lucero and Adrian Nocum, who basically posted similar numbers to last season.


Louie Sangalang, though, is a different story. He genuinely dug deep and embraced the role of Terrafirma’s go-to guy. His stats jumped from 5.9 points and 3.1 rebounds to 12.9 and 4.9, respectively, while leading a ragtag squad to more respectable showings. That’s real improvement.


But if the PBA views this as more of a “breakthrough” award than “most improved,” then Munzon would have been the obvious pick—especially with how he carried NorthPort when everyone else was leaving.



There’s one more award from the PBA Press Corps that really matters—and it’s a big one. Right now, it looks like the race boils down to June Mar Fajardo or Zavier Lucero.


It’s been ten years since JMF last won the honor, but his presence in the paint still alters games in ways stats don’t always capture. On the other hand, Lucero carved out his minutes precisely because of his relentless ability to disrupt opponents and kill possessions.


So who takes it this time? Whether it’s The Kraken reclaiming old glory or Lucero breaking through as the new defensive anchor, this one’s shaping up to be a fun battle.

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