By Adrian Stewart Co

The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) has ruled with finality on prohibiting NLEX Road Warriors star Kiefer Ravena from suiting up for the Shiga Lakestars in the Japanese B. League.

PBA chairman Ricardo Vargas said the league’s board of governors were unanimous in blocking the Iloilo City-native Ravena’s Japan stint pointing to the sanctity of his newly-signed three-year deal with the Road Warriors.

“The board has decided that Kiefer has to honor his contract with NLEX,” Vargas said in a virtual press conference on Saturday. “It was very difficult for us, the officers of the PBA, to sit through this discussion as well but this is the final decision.”

“We came out with this decision that it is best that we strictly follow the policy of not breaking contracts as we felt that there were more negatives if we allow such to happen,” he added.

PBA vice chairman Bobby Rosales, for his part, said the PBA board has studied Ravena’s situation from all angles and has decided that allowing the Ilonggo cager to play in Japan could set a bad precedent.

“The contract is a legal document that should not be broken. We don’t like the consequences and avoid the consequences if a contract is broken. We just hope that the party concerned will realize the sanctity of a contract,” said Rosales.

The PBA will officially inform the B.League about its decision and the rationale behind it in the coming days, while also relaying the verdict to the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas, which coordinates international player transfers with FIBA.

Last week, the Lakestars announced on its website the acquisition of Ravena under Japan B. League’s Asian Player Quota rule with a formal press conference on him slated on Monday evening.

PBA commissioner Willie Marcial quickly thumbed down Ravena’s Japan stint since the Ilonggo guard signed a Uniform Players Contract (UPC) with NLEX and the league that remains binding./ASC, WDJ