MANILA – NLEX Road Warriors star Kiefer Ravena faces roadblocks about his upcoming stint with the Shiba Lakestars in Japan’s B. League 2021-2022 Season.
According to Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) commissioner Willie Marcial, the Iloilo City-native Ravena was disallowed to play for the Lakestars since he is currently under contract with the Road Warriors.
“(Kiefer) informed me about it (playing for the Lakestars in the Japan B. League) last Tuesday kaso ang sabi ko sa kanya ay hindi pwede,” Marcial said on Wednesday.
Aside from breaching his newly-signed three-year deal with NLEX, Ravena will also violate PBA’s Uniform Players’ Contract (UPC) if he plays in Japan B. League, Marcial explained.
“The UPC binds a player like Kiefer to a contract with the PBA, not just with his mother team, which in this case is NLEX,” Marcial said. “Right now, that’s the situation.”
The Road Warriors has yet to issue a statement on the matter as of press time, while NLEX head coach Joseller “Yeng” Guiao said Ravena notified him before considering offers to play in Japan.
The Lakestars on Wednesday affirmed the signing of the Ilonggo player under the Asian Player Quotas and will introduce himself in a press conference on Monday.
“We are very pleased to announce that we have signed a new player for the 2021-22 Season with Kiefer Ravena. He will be registered as the Asian Player Quotas,” the Lakestars said on its website.
Kiefer will be the second Filipino to play in the Japan B. League after his younger brother Thirdy, inked a multi-year extension with the San-En NeoPhoenix.
Kiefer’s entry could be an added boost to the Lakestars, which missed the playoffs in the 2020-2021 season after occupying the 13th spot with a 23-36 record.
This is not the first time that Kiefer opted to go overseas to pursue a basketball career after signing a developmental contract with the Texas Legends in the NBA D-League in 2016. He, however, failed to make the team’s final roster./PN
