‘Dota’ buddy and close pal June Mar Fajardo pays tribute to Marc Pingris

Photo credit: June Mar Fajardo/Instagram

Marc Pingris is a beloved figure in the PBA, not just by the fans but also by his fellow players as well. As expected, tributes poured in for Pinoy Sakuragi after he recently announced his retirement from basketball. (Yeah, we’re still not over it, too.)

READ: Pinoy Sakuragi, signing off! Highlights from Marc Pingris’ legendary career

While he received a ton of well wishes from his PBA and Gilas brethren, including a heartfelt message from long-time teammate James Yap.

Yap shared, “Gusto ko na take ’tong opportunity na ’to na pasalamatan ka @jeanmarc15 sa lahat ng ginawa mo para sa akin. You were one of the best teammates [that] I’ve ever had. Our brotherhood and friendship started with basketball pero alam ko that we go beyond that, na kahit ’di tayo pareho naglalaro, ’di magbabago ang samahan natin. Congrats sa retirement, ’tol! See you around!”

Of course, Pingris’ BFF June Mar Fajardo had to do a tribute for his buddy as well. The Kraken penned a hilarious but definitely genuine tribute to his kuya Ping on his social media accounts. 

Fajardo recalled the first interaction he had with the enigmatic Pingris. Was it on the basketball court? Not even close! These gigantic athletes found themselves slumped in a chair while playing in an internet café in Metrowalk.

Hindi ito imbento, guys! Keep scrolling and read June Mar’s story. 

Photo credit: June Mar Fajardo/Instagram

Fajardo shared, “’Tol @jeanmarc15 ’di ko makalimutan [noong] unang kita natin sa Metrowalk ABL pa lang ako, naglalaro kami ng Dota tapos magkalikod lang tayo, ’di mo pa ako pinapansin [noon], [tapos] pinansin mo lang ako noong gusto mo makipaglaro kasi kailangan mo ng magbubuhat sa’yo kasi lagi kang talo! HAHAHAHA! Joke lang! Tapos lagi na tayo naglalaro ni @juncabatu [Junjun Cabatu] ng HON [Heroes of Newerth] at Dota!”.

Now that’s quite the first impression! But jokes aside, Fajardo added the many life lessons that he learned from Pingris in basketball and beyond. 

He continued, “’Tol, maraming salamat talaga sa lahat ng tinuro mo sa akin hindi lang sa basketball pati na rin sa buhay. Salamat lalo sa friendship mo at sa mga bonding at memories natin sa Gilas. Hindi ko rin makakalimutan ang first finals ko sa PBA magkalaban tayo at nagchampion kayo, first heartbreak ko yun sa finals pero masaya ako kasi marami akong natutunan sa match-up natin at masaya ako na nag-finals MVP ka noon! After noon, mas pinaghahandaan kita at excited ako kapag magkalaban tayo kasi gusto kita talunin! HAHAHA! Mamimiss kita sa loob ng court for sure! Maraming salamat talaga sa pagiging isang magandang role model para sa amin at mga susunod pa na generations! Enjoy your retirement and congrats again sa successful PBA career!”

Sana all may ganitong #bromance sa buhay! 

Now that Pingris has retired, he will definitely have more time to play Dota. Kaya kahit hindi sila magkita ni Fajardo sa basketball court, pwede pa rin naman ituloy ang laban online. 

Sino ang ride-or-die friend mo? Sino sa inyo ng tropa mo ang tagabuhat sa Dota?