Push Admin

Amid B.League's growing popularity in PH, Dwight Ramos tells local cagers to 'do what makes you happy'

Article (news)

Camille B. Naredo, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Filipino-American forward Dwight Ramos during his introductory press conference with Levanga Hokkaido. © Levanga Hokkaido" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2022/news/09/22/dwight.jpg"/><figcaption>Filipino-American forward Dwight Ramos during his introductory press conference with Levanga Hokkaido. <em>© Levanga Hokkaido</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA, Philippines -- Even as the debate about &quot;poaching&quot; of local cagers by overseas leagues rages on, Dwight Ramos has a simple piece of advice for his fellow basketball players.</p><p>&quot;Just do what makes you happy,&quot; Ramos said in a press conference on Wednesday, when he was formally introduced as the Asian import of Levanga Hokkaido for the 2022-23 season of the B.League.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/05/18/22/japan-bleague-dwight-ramos-joins-levanga-hokkaido">READ: Dwight Ramos joins Levanga Hokkaido</a></li></ul><p>Ramos, 24, was among the Filipino players who chose to ply their trade abroad -- in this case, Japan. The Filipino-American forward was supposed to play for Ateneo de Manila University, but with the UAAP in limbo because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ramos instead turned pro and signed with the Toyama Grouses last year.</p><p>After a solid campaign with Toyama, he inked a new deal with Hokkaido for the upcoming B.League season. Already, he has been branded as a &quot;very integral&quot; member of the team.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/09/21/22/ramos-will-be-very-integral-to-hokkaido-says-gm">FULL STORY: Dwight Ramos will be &#x27;very integral&#x27; to Hokkaido, says GM</a></li></ul><p>Ramos is just one of 11 Filipinos who will play in the B.League as an Asian import this year. That so many local cagers have taken their acts abroad has worried the local basketball federation, so much that the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas raised the issue of &quot;poaching&quot; to the Senate recently. </p><p>Officials of the PBA have also expressed their concern to their B.League counterparts during a visit to Tokyo. According to executives of the local league, the exodus of Filipino players to Japan has affected not just the PBA but even the national team.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/09/19/22/kbl-imports-show-support-after-navarro-barred-from-playing">READ: KBL imports show support after Navarro barred from playing</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/09/17/22/baldwin-says-he-did-not-play-agent-to-gilas-players-exodus">READ: Baldwin says he did not play agent to Gilas players&#x27; exodus</a></li></ul><p>Ramos acknowledges that the B.League&#x27;s popularity is rising in the Philippines, and the league has caught the attention of the Filipino players.</p><p>&quot;Definitely a lot of players in the Philippines are aspiring to play here in Japan, so I think that&#x27;s a big compliment to the B.League, how it&#x27;s growing, how good of a league it&#x27;s becoming,&quot; he said.</p><p>But while local basketball stakeholders appear concerned about the B.League&#x27;s rising popularity, Ramos believes that the players should do what&#x27;s best for them given their circumstances. More importantly, they should be allowed to make their own choices.</p><p>&quot;My advice is, honestly it&#x27;s just case by case. Lots of people are in different circumstances,&quot; said Ramos. &quot;If you feel that you wanna take that jump and play outside of the Philippines, then do it.&quot;</p><p>&quot;If you wanna play in the Philippines and stay with your family, then you do that. It&#x27;s just all your choice,&quot; he stressed.</p><p>His commitment to his club team in Japan has not interfered with Ramos&#x27; duties with the Philippine national team. Barring injuries, he has always been available for Gilas Pilipinas, and is averaging 14.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game in the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers.</p><p>&quot;That&#x27;s kind of my advice, just do what makes you happy,&quot; he said.</p><p>Ramos and Levanga open their campaign on October 1 against the Akita Happinets.</p><div><strong>Related video:</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=2202279" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>

As the debate about 'poaching' of local cagers by overseas leagues rages on, Dwight Ramos has a simple piece of advice for his fellow basketball players.

Amid B.League's growing popularity in PH, Dwight Ramos tells local cagers to 'do what makes you happy'

News

Entertainment

Lifestyle

Sports

Metro.Style

More

Traffic

Manila

Horoscope

Sports

Amid B.League's growing popularity in PH, Dwight Ramos tells local cagers to 'do what makes you happy'

Camille B. Naredo,

ABS-CBN News

Published Sep 22, 2022 12:14 PM PHT

Read More:

basketball

Japan

Japan B.League

Levanga Hokkaido

Dwight Ramos

Gilas Pilipinas

Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas

ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide.

Corporate

Investors

Governance

International Distribution

Corporate

Governance

Investors

International Distribution

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

AI Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.