In a season where victories and defeats crossed different courts, the Laput siblings found their own winning moment far beyond the scoreboard. For James Laput, every update from the UAAP carried more weight than any stat line in the PBA.
Watching his younger sister Shevana Laput lead the De La Salle University Lady Spikers to a flawless UAAP Season 88 campaign and a second collegiate title, James saw not just a champion but the realization of years of expectation, pressure, and persistence finally turning into gold.
For the Magnolia Hotshots big man, the achievement went beyond La Salle’s storied legacy. It became personal validation of Shevana’s journey as an athlete who carried both talent and responsibility on her shoulders.
“All I can say is that she lived up to expectations, and I think she should be called the ‘doe’ because she’s the definition of elite,” he said.
James knows what it means to fall short of a dream season. His own run with La Salle in Season 82 ended in disappointment after a concussion disrupted what was supposed to be a defining campaign.
That unfinished chapter has followed him into his professional career with the Magnolia Hotshots, where a championship still remains out of reach.
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FAMILY SUPPORT SYSTEM
Fresh off a UAAP women’s volleyball championship with the DLSU Lady Spikers, Shevana Laput joins her family at the Ynares Center Antipolo to support her brother, Magnolia’s James Laput, during the PBA Season 50 Comm’s Cup.|via Czarina Agaton/One Sports pic.twitter.com/Uwm6EmaNGD
— One Sports (@OneSportsPHL) May 16, 2026
But while his own journey continues to search for a breakthrough, Shevana’s rise has become a source of perspective rather than pressure.
“She’s proven it time and time and time and time again. She’s just well-deserving of this title and this (Finals MVP) award. It’s just a bonus for her, but it’s huge for the entire Lasallian community,” he said.
Carrying the responsibility of leadership this season, Shevana entered UAAP Season 88 under heavier expectations, but delivered a campaign that defined composure under pressure.
Even in the middle of Magnolia’s own PBA quarterfinal battle against the Meralco Bolts at the Ynares Center in Antipolo, family support remained constant. Despite James and Magnolia falling short in their playoff clash, Shevana was present courtside—turning the tables on roles, this time cheering for her brother from the stands.
James may still be chasing his defining championship moment in the PBA, but in watching Shevana lift hers twice over with La Salle, he has already experienced a different kind of victory—one measured not in trophies, but in pride that runs in the family.
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