Dwight Ramos open to PBA stint

MANILA, Philippines -- Will we see Saint Dwight in the PBA?

Dwight Ramos, who has played in Japan in recent years, voiced openness to suiting up in the PBA in the future.

Ramos, who recently signed a contract extension with Japan B.League team Levanga Hokkaido, said that he sees himself eventually taking his act to Asia’s oldest basketball league.

“I think so, eventually. I don’t know when, but hopefully,” the guard told reporters in an interview prior to a meet-and-greet event organized by Lawson Philippines.

The 25-year-old Filipino-American cager has been playing in Japan since 2021.

He earlier suited up for the Toyoma Grouses before playing for Hokkaido in 2022.

Ramos has also been a mainstay of the Gilas Pilipinas program in recent years.

Just last week, he was one of the main cogs of the Philippines, which reached the semifinals of the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

In the past months, there were a number of players playing overseas who returned to the Philippines, such as Robert Bolick, RJ Abarrientos, Greg Slaughter and Dave Ildefonso.

Ramos stressed that playing overseas could take its toll to the players, especially if their loved ones are back in Manila.

“I think it’s hard playing overseas. It’s not your home country, you don’t feel as comfortable and you’re by yourself for like almost the whole year,” he said.

“When you do it over the years, you kind of feel like you’re missing out on a lot of things. You’re missing your family, so sure that’s probably what those guys felt and they just wanted to come home and play in the Philippines,” he added.

“They’re all gonna do great here because it’s their home country and they played here for so long.”

The guard averaged 10.7 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game in the 2023-24 season.