What's next for Gilas Pilipinas without June Mar Fajardo? Tim Cone weighs in

Gilas Pilipinas will return to action in a FIBA tournament this November, and with June Mar Fajardo retiring from national team duties, a new chapter will start for the Philippine men’s basketball team.

Fajardo ended his national team career with a bang, going out with six points and two rebounds as the Philippines swept the fourth window of the Asian qualifiers.

“I was kidding June Mar. I turned around to him because the guys were congratulating him specifically. I turned to June Mar and said, ‘I refuse, June Mar. You’re still gonna be on call,’” Cone said about the light moment.

“His intention is to retire from Gilas. I’m not sure if we’ll let him do that,” he added while laughing.

With Fajardo out, however, Cone will rely on the young players that he and the team are developing.

“QMB (Quentin Millora-Brown) is on the horizon, Mike Phillips is around, we still got guys that can step in into the program and give us some size and athleticism,” Cone said.

How will Gilas Pilipinas prepare for a JMF-less team? @gmasportsph @gmanews pic.twitter.com/6ozwjc3Jzy

— JK Carandang (@jk_carandang) August 30, 2026

“The depth that you have is actually very crucial to the success that you have,” he added.

—JKC, GMA News