By JONAS TERRADO
Kiefer and Thirdy Ravena are hoping to one day get a chance to go back and play together in the PBA.
The brothers said Friday, Jan. 15 that seeing themselves in the same league where their father Bong Ravena once played is a dream they would like to fulfill in the near future.
“For us brothers, to be able to play in the league where our dad also played, I think it’s also part of our dreams as well, whether on the same team or playing against each other like what we’re doing now here in Japan,” Kiefer said in B.League’s virtual event featuring Asian players who were supposed to take part in the cancelled All-Star festivities.
Thirdy, who broke the barrier as the first player signed under the league’s Asian Player Quota rule in 2020, also has the PBA in mind.
“I was a kid, I always dreamed about playing in the PBA as well,” he said. “So as part of my career, I see myself playing in the league. We don’t know when, but just fulfilling your career as a basketball player, you have to play in the Philippines as well.”
But for now, the two are still focusing on trying to do a good job in Japan, with Thirdy playing for the San-En Neophoenix and Kiefer suiting up for the Shiga Lakestars.
Thirdy opted to skip the 2019 draft and signed with the Neophoenix, his team for the last two seasons.
Kiefer, on the other hand, was among the eight Filipinos who followed his younger brother’s lead when he inked a deal to play for Shiga.
But Kiefer had to go through numerous stumbling blocks before securing a release from the PBA and the NLEX Road Warriors.
“For us right now, it’s really taking care of ourselves and staying healthy so we can make sure that (the PBA stint) happens in the future,” Kiefer said.
