Rain or Shine Elasto Painters’ Jhonard Clarito named PBA Player of the Week for the period of June 18 to 22

The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters continue to prove they cannot be taken lightly in the ongoing Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup, as evidenced by their run to the semifinals.

The Elasto Painters overcame the second-seeded NLEX Road Warriors, 103–92, in a do-or-die quarterfinal clash on Saturday, June 21, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium. What made their run even more impressive was their ability to overturn NLEX’s twice-to-beat advantage heading into the quarterfinals.

Central to their progression was the standout performance of star guard Jhonard Clarito, who impressed in both quarterfinal games, averaging 16.5 points and 18.5 rebounds, stepping up when his team needed him the most. Clarito opened the week with 20 points and 21 rebounds in Rain or Shine’s 92–89 victory over NLEX on June 18, becoming one of the smallest players in PBA history to record such a dominant double-double.

AIR JHONARD

Jhonard Clarito earns the PBA Press Corps–Pilipinas Live Player of the Week honors for the period of June 18 to 22 after leading Rain or Shine to a semifinal berth in the PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup.#PBASeason49 #PBAAngatAngLaban #PBA50 pic.twitter.com/n7EAXXCduM

— One Sports (@OneSportsPHL) June 24, 2025

He followed that up with 13 points and 16 rebounds in Rain or Shine’s 103–92 win over NLEX in the do-or-die matchup on June 21, again at Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

His back-to-back performances drew high praise from head coach Yeng Guiao, who noted how Clarito’s effort inspired the rest of the team.

“Si Jhonard, kita natin ’yung effort niya—buwis-buhay talaga eh. Any coach would appreciate the effort they put up, not just Clarito but the rest of the guys,” Guiao said.

Clarito’s clutch performances earned him the PBA Press Corps Player of the Week for the period of June 18 to 22. He edged out TNT Tropang Giga’s Roger Pogoy, Barangay Ginebra’s Japeth Aguilar, San Miguel Beermen’s June Mar Fajardo, and teammate Santi Santillan for the weekly honor, awarded by sports journalists from broadsheets, tabloids, and online platforms.

Coach Guiao and his squad will hope for another stellar outing from Clarito when they face Barangay Ginebra San Miguel in Game 1 of their best-of-seven semifinal series on Wednesday, June 25, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

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