ANTIPOLO CITY, Philippines – The rivalry between CJ Perez and Robert Bolick is a thing of the past now.

At least, that’s how Perez feels after Columbian stunned Bolick and NorthPort in a 110-100 win in the 2019 PBA Philippine Cup that marked the first time the collegiate rivals met in the professional ranks.

“Nag-good luck-an lang kami kanina. ‘Yun lang naman ‘yun. Wala naman kasi ‘yung rivalry. Wala, PBA na ‘to,” Perez told reporters after the win. 

(We just said good luck to each other. That’s it. There is no rivalry anymore. We’re already in the PBA.) 

The two top picks had memorable battles in the NCAA, with Perez sparking the emergence of the Lyceum Pirates into legitimate title contenders and Bolick becoming the face of the dynastic San Beda Red Lions. 

Perez and the Pirates, though, failed to get over the hump against Bolick and the Red Lions as they succumbed to back-to-back finals series losses in Seasons 93 and 94. 

Now in the PBA, the narrative seemed to have changed with Perez getting the last laugh over Bolick with a relatively better individual performance and a win to boot. 

Perez finished with 12 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals while Bolick was limited to just 3 points on a 1-of-7 shooting, although he still delivered 7 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals in the loss. 

But Perez says his personal matchup with Bolick was far from his mind. 

“Wala sa isip ko ‘yun basta para sa team and para sa management and para sa coaches namin ‘yun, para ‘yung effort nila masuklian,” he said. 

(I didn’t think about our personal matchup. This is for the team, for the management and for our coaches. We wanted to repay their efforts.) 

Perez and the Dyip seek to notch their third win in 4 games when they meet NLEX on Sunday, January 27, at the Araneta Coliseum. – Rappler.com