STRAIGHT out of Ateneo, Thirdy Ravena painted a path of his own, trailblazing a solo journey in the Japan B. League's 2020-2021 season.
This year, there's now eight of them.
His brother, Kiefer, already a star in the NLEX Road Warriors, is already making an impact in the Shiga Lakestars. Earlier this week, the two went 1-1 in back-to-back opening games between Thirdy's San-En NeoPhoenix and the Lakestars.
Then there's former TNT stalwart Bobby Ray Parks Jr. for the Nagoya Diamond Dolphins, Kobe Paras with a 25-point debut for Niigata Albirex, Dwight Ramos for Toyama Grouses, and Javi Gomez de Liano with the Ibaraki Robots.
Juan Gomez De Liano also plays for Earthfriends Tokyo Z while Kemark Carino with the Aomori Wats.

Thirdy Ravena: Local Hero aims to inspire
It was the younger Ravena's first foray that opened doors for his fellow 'kababayans' to be able to take their talents internationally — now documented in a film production called Thirdy Ravena: Local Hero.
While he's very much open in admitting that the ride isn't a perfect one, watching the finished documentary gave Ravena a concrete reminder of his hard-fought battle, and a legacy to inspire the young ones.
"I was filming the docu with nothing in mind. It's me doing regular things but with a camera following me around. I really didn't think it throught about what it would be before," he said. "But now, I'd like it to be airing a message na 'kayang-kaya' to anyone who's watching and dreaming."
During his debut year, he tested positive for COVID-19, taking him out of the court for a couple of weeks.
Then, he suffered a finger injury that benched him for months.
"Marami kang pagdadaaanan along the way but hopefully you find it in yourself to keep going," he said. "Have little wins, sa araw-araw, paggising mo pa lang. Keep going and stay positive. My goal with it is to empower the dreamers."
Thirdy Ravena: Local Hero is now showing on the VivaMax website and app.
VivaMax is a local subscription-based entertainment platform. It offers weekly rates starting at P49.
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