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Kiefer Ravena's chances of playing overseas were dealt a major blow after the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) prohibited him from suiting up for a Japanese team.

The 27-year-old basketball star made sports headlines recently after news came out that he will be playing for the Shiga Lakestars in the Japan B. League.

Kiefer, however, has an existing contract with the PBA team NLEX Road Warriors and is bound by the Uniform Players Contract (UPC).

The UPC states that a player is prohibited from joining other leagues while playing in the PBA.

“The PBA board had decided that Kiefer has to honor his contract with NLEX and with the PBA,” PBA Chairman Ricky Vargas said during a virtual press conference.

The PBA, according to Ricky, is worried that allowing Kiefer to disregard the contract will set a bad precedent as other players might feel emboldened not to honor their contracts when faced with a similar situation.

“The philosophy is basically the sanctity of the contract. Breaking a contract is going to be difficult for us to manage moving forward,” he said.

The PBA has sent a letter to the Japan B. League explaining the situation and the legalities involved in Kiefer's case.

“It would be exactly the situation of Kiefer as a player of NLEX and as a member of the PBA as an organization. Nothing less and nothing more, and that there is an existing contract that has to be respected,” mentioned Ricky.

In related news, the Shiga Lakestars announced today, June 6, that it has postponed the scheduled press conference tomorrow intended to welcome Kiefer to the team.

"We have decided to postpone the press conference until a more appropriate time, as holding a press conference with Ravena and us at this time may add more confusion to the situation. We will continue discussions to resolve these issues," the team said in a statement.

Meanwhile, get to know David Alaba, the half-Pinoy football star who is set to play for the Spanish football club, Real Madrid: