June Mar Fajardo admits he was shaken by Angel Delgado punch

The day after Gilas Pilipinas’ opening day loss against the Dominican Republic, June Mar Fajardo confirmed that he was on the receiving end of a punch from former NBA player Angel Delgado during their game Friday night.

Fans were confused as to why the punch was missed by the referees, and Fajardo himself is still clueless about the reason for the punch as he feels he didn’t do anything to provoke the Dominican.

“Hindi ko nga alam eh. Tumatakbo lang ako tapos sinuntok niya ako,” said Fajardo.

(“I don’t know. I was just running and then he punched me.”)

But Fajardo, known in Philippine basketball as a gentle giant, didn’t feel it was worth it to retaliate.

“Ah, wala. Hindi worth it ‘yung ano [gumanti].”

(“No. It wasn’t worth it to retaliate.”)

But that doesn’t mean he didn’t feel the effects of the punch from the 6-foot-9 Delgado.

“Parang nayanig ako. Ang laki nu’n eh. Hindi naman maliit yu’n.”

(“I was shaken. He’s a big guy. He’s not small.”)

Good thing Fajardo didn’t lose focus after the incident as he turned in an impressive performance for the hometown team. He finished with 16 points on 5-of-5 shooting and also grabbed seven rebounds.

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Fajardo and Gilas Pilipinas will try to bounce back and get their first 2023 FIBA World Cup win on Sunday at 8 p.m. against Angola.

—JMB, GMA Integrated News