June Mar Fajardo Announces Retirement From Gilas Pilipinas
JUNE MAR FAJARDO – The professional basketball player has officially retired from Gilas Pilipinas after 13 years of representing the Philippines in international basketball. The nine-time PBA MVP announced his retirement on Sunday after the national team faced Iran in the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers Window 4 at the Mall of Asia Arena.
The game marked Fajardo’s final appearance for Gilas Pilipinas in FIBA competition. The 36-year-old, 6-foot-11 center represented the country in three FIBA World Cup tournaments and played in numerous competitions across Asia and Southeast Asia. He finished his FIBA career with 70 games and established himself as one of the Philippines’ most respected and successful big men.
Fajardo had planned to end his national team career after Window 3 in July. He had already said goodbye to his teammates in an emotional locker-room speech. However, head coach Tim Cone and team manager Alfrancis Chua asked him to play one more game in Window 4, particularly in case Kai Sotto was unavailable.
Fajardo eventually agreed to return for the final assignment. However, he acknowledged that age and his physical condition had made international competition more difficult. While he still wants to play basketball, he said his body can no longer keep up with the demands of representing the country at the highest level.
Since joining Gilas Pilipinas in 2013, Fajardo became a key figure in Philippine basketball. His size, skills, consistency, and experience made him an important part of the national team for more than a decade.
Fajardo is also the second veteran Gilas big man to retire from international basketball within nine months. Japeth Aguilar announced his retirement from the national team in December.
With Fajardo now stepping away, Gilas Pilipinas will look to its younger players to take on bigger roles. Kai Sotto, Kevin Quiambao, Carl Tamayo, AJ Edu, Dwight Ramos, and Juan Gomez de Liaño are among the players expected to help lead the national team into its next chapter.