Cortez and Payosing Know Each Other Too Well to Take it Easy

Jacob Cortez knew James Payosing was coming for him.

They had shared a room at San Beda, worked out together united in a goal, and won a championship to shower in confetti.

When Payosing later needed advice about moving to the UAAP, Cortez was someone he could ask.

But at this moment, with a 6-foot-2, ripped slasher coming at him, Cortez could use some of that familiarity against his brother-turned-opponent.

With less than five minutes left in their first UAAP meeting on October 11, Payosing was called for an offensive foul on his former roommate.

Asked afterward whether he had baited his friend into the charge, a laughing Cortez said yes.

“I knew he was gonna attack me anytime he got a chance,” he said in an exclusive interview. “And I just did all I could to stop him.”

Payosing had a word for what was going on between them.

“Lambingan.”

UP won, 80–76, at the Mall of Asia Arena, giving Payosing the result Cortez wanted for himself. Their first UAAP duel had been a long time coming. They had discussed it after Payosing’s transfer and during his residency, imagining how it would feel to compete in different uniforms on this stage.

Cortez had also noticed Payosing cramping during the game and made sure to point it out.

Any trash talk?

“No, just laughing,” he said. “It was all joking.”

There had been no pregame text exchange, Cortez said. They already had enough material.

Some of it remains unavailable for publication.

Asked for stories from their days as roommates, Payosing declined to provide anything particularly incriminating while trying to hold his laughter.

“Wala akong pwedeng masabi, wala kaming matinong ginagawa eh.”

What he did share was a memory of how their circle grew.

At first, three of them would go out together. Then five. Eventually, the outings included the whole Red Lions roster. As San Beda pursued a championship, the same players who found ways to amuse themselves also learned what they had to give up.

“Nagtutulungan kami para mabuo yung team namin,” Payosing said.

They were helping put a unified front together. Some of that happened in the hours they chose to spend with one another, away from practice.

Cortez remembers the work, too. Payosing was one of the first friends he made when he first entered college. They trained together with Ralph Penuela, the former San Beda captain who became part of the coaching staff.

Those repetitions belonged to a period when both were still becoming the players people recognize now in a heartbeat.

Cortez, who had played high school basketball at La Salle Green Hills and UST, was establishing himself beyond the familiar surname of his father, Mike, a La Salle champion and former top PBA draft pick.

Payosing, from Bislig City in Surigao del Sur, was developing into a wing whose rebounding and defense could earn him minutes.

Their contributions converged in San Beda’s 2023 NCAA championship.

Cortez scored 21 points to keep the Red Lions alive in Game 2 against Mapua. In the deciding game, he had eight assists, while Payosing collected 11 points and 14 rebounds. Yukien Andrada led the scoring as San Beda won its first title since 2018.

Payosing received the Finals MVP trophy. Cortez had helped him get there; Payosing had helped finish the job. Together, they etched their names in Red Lions lore.

Then came the first departure.

Cortez left for La Salle in January 2024. Asked what Payosing’s initial reaction had been, he acknowledged the hurt.

“At first, siyempre, parang hurt siya.”

That could sound like the beginning of a falling-out. Cortez quickly corrected that suggestion.

“We always talked to each other.”

Payosing remembers wishing him luck. At the time, he did not know he would eventually leave, too. He played another season for San Beda, who failed to defend their title, before moving to UP in 2025, sitting out a residency year before becoming eligible this season.

By then, the friend whose departure had stung was someone who could help him understand the transition.

“He was asking for advice, actually,” Cortez said, explaining that they discussed the differences between the UAAP and NCAA.

There was also a suggestion, delivered in jest, that they should become teammates again.

Payosing had an answer ready.

“Wala akong gagawin diyan sa La Salle kasi parang gagawa na tayo ng security agency, dami ng guards,” he told Cortez.

Payosing accepts that basketball is a team sport and adjusts to the role a team needs. His experience at San Beda, and his ability to get along with people, helped him settle into UP, especially with the likes of Rey Remogat and Veejay Pre handling the scoring department.

The new community came with new obligations. It did not require him to discard old values.

“Yung root natin kung saan tayo nanggaling sa San Beda, yung mga natutunan natin doon sa humility, brotherhood, nandun pa rin pagkatapos ng trabaho,” he said.

On Sunday, the work included helping beat Cortez.

Payosing finished with five points and four rebounds, making both his free throws with 21 seconds remaining to extend UP’s lead to 79–73. Cortez had 10 points and six assists, but also six turnovers, for La Salle

The charge was a small victory for one friend. The outcome belonged to the other.

“Luckily I got that charging foul,” Cortez said, “but then again what was important is they got the win.”

Payosing was keeping his own count. Recalling their meetings in offseason tournaments, he put his advantage at 3–0 after Sunday’s result.

It was delivered with the satisfaction of someone who knew the other guy would want a response.

Asked if Cortez would get Payosing back next game, he needed little time.

“Yeah, of course.”

But when he considered the journey itself, Cortez returned to the player who had shared his room and his workouts.

“Just to see [James’] growth to here, it’s amazing,” he said. “It’s a blessing.”

Asked to share something people might not know about Cortez, Payosing initially held back.

“Hindi pwede, eh.”

Then he offered something more personal than a story from their old room.

“Hindi naman siya religious, pero grabe yung faith niya kay God.”

Cortez can speak with pride about how far Payosing has come, while James can let people see a part of Cortez they would never find in a box score.

They wanted the best for each other, including the version of their friend they would have the hardest time beating.