Filipino basketball superstar Kiefer Ravena is headed to Japan after he signed a deal to play for the Shiga Lakestars in the B.League.
The Lakestars made the announcement on its social media pages, adding that they will be introducing Ravena in a press conference on Monday, June 7, at 1 p.m.
“We are very pleased to announce that we have signed a new player for the 2021-22 Season with Kiefer Ravena,” read the announcement. “Ravena will be registered as the Asian Player Quotas.”
The 27-year old, who recently signed on to become an ambassador of the Jordan Brand, is following in the footsteps of his younger brother, Thirdy Ravena, who just concluded his rookie year for San-En in the B.League.
However, it remains to be seen how the PBA will handle this development after league commissioner Willie Marcial reportedly said in a report on Spin.ph that Ravena is not allowed to do such a thing as the latter has a live contract with NLEX after he signed an extension with the team in September of last year that runs until 2023.
Regardless of what happens, Ravena is a prized catch for Shiga. In the last PBA season, the 6-foot-1 guard carried NLEX on his back and averaged 19.36 points, 5.45 rebounds, 4.64 assists, and 1.0 steals per game. Ravena’s presence is expected to boost Shiga, which finished with a dismal 23-36 record last season. (JNP)