MANILA, Philippines – Dwight Ramos sees his future in the Philippines, perhaps even in the PBA, some time in the next five years.
When asked by a fan in a meet-and-greet event on Friday, July 12, where he sees himself in the next half decade, Ramos kept all possibilities open, including playing in the oldest basketball league in Asia.
“In the next five years, I’m probably still playing in Gilas, and I’m not sure if either I play in Japan or I play somewhere else. Maybe in the PBA someday. We’ll see,” said Ramos.
The 6-foot-3 guard will still play for the Levanga Hokkaido in his fourth season at the Japan B. League, becoming one of the longest-tenured Asian import in Japan.
But when the time is right for him, the Gilas PIlipinas star sees himself donning a PBA jersey.
“I’m a Filipino, so playing in the PBA is something I see myself hopefully doing. I don’t know when will that be, but again, whatever happens, happens,” Ramos said shortly after the partnership event organized by his Japan team Levanga and Lawson Philippines.
“Right now, I’m taking things year by year. I’d leave it at that until the next opportunity comes,” he added.
Ramos has been playing for the national team since 2020 after the Ateneo Blue Eagles initially recruited him to play for them in 2019.
When his UAAP plans didn’t pan out, mainly due to the pandemic, he went to Japan and carved a name for himself, starting with the Toyama Grouses in 2021 before joining Levanga for the next three years.
The past B. League season saw Ramos fill a bigger scoring role as he averaged a career-high 10.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.4 assists to earn him another deal with Levanga, cementing his name as a household name in the Asian player quota.
Recently, former overseas imports Dave Ildefonso, Justine Baltazar, and RJ Abarrientos, who all previously played with Ramos in Gilas, decided to enter the PBA Draft.
Seeing some of his former Asian import compatriots join the local league, Ramos hopes for Filipino talents thrive wherever they wish to play.
“I’m happy for them. The PBA is really competitive. I’ve watched them and it’s exciting. I hope their talents translate well in the league,” he said.
With Gilas in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament last week, Ramos played with PBA stars June Mar Fajardo, Chris Newsome, CJ Perez, Calvin Oftana, and Justin Brownlee, along with head coach Tim Cone.
For Ramos, the learnings he got from playing with a PBA-laden team is invaluable for his career.
“They are all veterans,” Ramos said “They know how to handle pressure well, playing in the [PBA] for a long time. That is something I’m really glad to experience first hand in Gilas.” – Rappler.com