CHICAGO -- His playing contract in the Japan B.League, the last of a rich two-year deal, is set to expire in a couple months, leaving the door ajar for a return to the Philippines.
But will Kiefer Ravena take his talents back to the PBA and help boost that league's waning popularity and dwindling fan attendance?
Don't hold your breath.
"I hope that I get to play and stay with the Shiga Lakestars at B1. Our team will be competitive and we will give it our best in the last part of the season," he told me in a recent interview.
Ravena politely steered away from discussing whether a new deal is on the table but multiple sources in the Japan B League told SPIN.ph that Kiefer will likely get a contract renewal that will pay him between $35,000 and $40,000 a month.
Hampered by injuries, Kief has played in only 34 games this season and averaged just 9.7 points, 2.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists while logging 24.2 minutes a contest.
"When healthy," a Japan-based agent told me, "Kief is arguably the best among the Asian imports from the Philippines."
KIEFER RAVENA THRIVING IN A WORLD-CLASS LEAGUE
And that's exactly what Kief did in his maiden season in Japan when he appeared in 56 games and averaged 13.1 points, 2.4 rebounds and 3.8 assists per while clocking in 28 minutes an outing.
While the haters may be quick to bash that 13.1 points per game doesn't impress much, it is notable to mention that the B.League is the 13th best league in the world where playing time dictates a player's averages.
So when you look at his output as it pertains to minutes played, the 29-year old combo guard is yielding a high efficiency rate.
Besides his on-court exploits, the extremely marketable Ravena is a social media titan who has a combined 1.2 million followers on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Thanks to Kief's magnetic pull, Shiga games generate hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube. This makes Ravena an invaluable asset in a league where the streaming platform is a huge revenue source.
With an extended Japan residency apparently in his future, I asked Kiefer about his Japan journey, his kitchen adventures and his activities outside of hooping.
"I wouldn't say I'm fully immersed in the culture. It's more really knowing the dos and don'ts. Being respectful of that culture is a big part already. Cooking remains the same. I'm not the best at it but more cooking will make me full for sure," he confessed.
HOBBIES?
"I'm just really laid back and relaxed when it comes to my days off. So I just want to stay at home," says the dynamic 6-foot, 180-pound combo guard.
Fourteen months after he mutually parted ways with his longtime girlfriend and volleyball supernova, Alyssa Valdez, I asked if he had already rebounded and Kief had this to say.
"I guess I would call it "moved on' rather than 'rebounded.' Focusing my energy on the important things and letting things flow on its own. And yes, I am seeing someone."
Pressed if his new flame is a drop-dead gorgeous social media influencer, he declined to confirm.
"Secret," he maintains.
A smart businessman who has started to tap on his entrepreneurial spirit back in college, Kiefer is in such a good place right now.
He spends and invests his money wisely and his only "vice" is perhaps an affinity for Rolex watches, an impressive collection that currently includes a Daytona, a Datejust and a Submariner.
Thanks largely to basketball and a tinge of marketing genius, Kiefer Ravena is living the good, blessed life.
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