San Miguel guard CJ Perez, middle, and TNT forward Calvin Oftana, left, have their eye on the ball during Game 6 of the PBA Philippine Cup Finals.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines—San Miguel star CJ Perez found himself in the same but all too different situation on Friday night at Philsports Arena.
In Game 6 of the PBA Philippine Cup Finals, the Beermen closed out TNT, 107-96, behind a stellar game from Perez.
READ: PBA Finals: CJ Perez eager to learn more after winning third crown
‘I’M NOT PERFECT… MARAMI PA ‘KONG MATUTUTUNAN’
CJ Perez reflects on winning his third PBA championship and said he still has a lot to learn with San Miguel Beer heading forward. #PBAFinals @INQUIRERSports pic.twitter.com/k7DP5q4zIL
— Rommel Fuertes Jr. (@MeloFuertesINQ) July 26, 2025
At the buzzer, Perez reveled in alcohol—predictably, some old-fashioned and ice-cold San Miguel Beer—to celebrate his third PBA championship.
Funnily enough, almost eight years ago, he also helped himself in some liquor but for a very different reason.
In November of 2018, Perez’s Lyceum was primed for revenge against San Beda and Calvin Oftana in the Finals of NCAA Season 94.
Unfortunately, he was suspended in Game 1 of that series after failing to notify the league of his intent to join that year’s PBA Draft.
And, well, he had no other choice but to watch Oftana and the Red Lions decimate his Pirates in the collegiate level’s biggest stage.
READ: PBA: CJ Perez’s timely explosion brings Beermen closer to Finals
“When I got suspended in Game 1, I stayed in my dorm… and I’ve been drinking too,” said Perez with the Inquirer, smiling as he reminisced about one of the low points of his career before the professional level.
“We couldn’t get one but It was just a lesson learned for me that you won’t be able to win every game you play.”
Oftana and the Red Lions swept Lyceum despite Perez’s return in Game 2.
The reason why that loss stung as much as it did was because the exact same thing happened a year before that; a San Beda sweeping of Lyceum in the Season 93 Finals.
Oftana had been unblemished against Perez in a finals series until Friday night.
READ: PBA: CJ Perez, San Miguel eye different result vs Meralco
“Actually, I already forgot about that but I’m so grateful and blessed to have one over him in the PBA,” said Perez, reflecting on his victory over longtime rival turned best friend Oftana.
“He may have gotten two over me in college but now I got one,” he added.
Perez saved his best for last in Season 49, dropping 24 points, six assists, three rebounds and a steal to halt TNT’s grand slam aspirations.
Oftana, though, was no slack, performing like he had just given Perez a taste of nostalgia with 19 points, four rebounds, four steals and three assists in a last-gasp effort to force a Game 7.
His outing wasn’t enough to do that. What it did accomplish, though, is having Perez’s respect for him increase tenfolds, not just as a competitor but as a brother.
“I have a lot of big, big respect for Calvin. He’s a good player and a good person,” the former Best Player of the Conference said.
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“He’s almost like a brother to me now because we’ve been together with Gilas for a while now, so I’m happy that we’ll be teammates again.”
Oftana and Perez will put down their respective banners in the PBA to lift the Philippine flag in the coming weeks as they answer the country’s call for Gilas Pilipinas in the 2025 Fiba Asia Cup.
