Thirdy Ravena leaves Japan, signs one-year deal with Dubai club

Thirdy Ravena, one of the pioneers for Filipino basketball players seeing action abroad, will chart a new trail as he moves on from Japan and signs a deal to join the Dubai Basketball Club.

The club announced Ravena's signing on Tuesday with the Filipino import inking a one-year pact.

Dubai Basketball Club is proud to announce the signing of @ThirdyRavenaaa , the first-ever Filipino player to play in Europe. ????????????????

Thirdy has signed a one-year contract with us, with the option to extend his stay for another season.#DubaiBasketball #ABALeague #dubaisports pic.twitter.com/4cDWpArlBW

— Dubai Basketball Club (@dubaibasket) July 30, 2024

"We’re excited to see him shine on the court as he starts a new chapter of his journey in Dubai," the club said in an instagram post.

"Thirdy has signed a one-year contract with us, with the option to extend his stay for another season."

The 27-year-old Ravena was coming off a four-year stint with San-en NeoPhoenix in the Japan Basketball League, where he emerged as the first Filipino to ever suit up as reinforcement. 

However, he decided to leave the club after the previous season, where he had his best campaign with San-en as they finished the elimination round with a 46-14 win-loss card. The NeoPhoenix, however, lost to the Hiroshima Dragonflies in the quarterfinals. 

With the Dubai club, Ravena is tipped to face several powerhouse clubs from around the globe as the club recently joined the ABA League in Europe. The league hosts a number of clubs from Montenegro, Serbia, Croatia, and Slovenia among others. 

Ravena was the latest global player to be signed by Dubai Basketball Club, which has also welcomed the likes of Serbian cagers Aleksa Uskokovic and Danilo Andusic as well as Klemen Prepelic of Slovenia, who played here during the 2023 FIBA World Cup alongside his teammate Luka Doncic.  

—JKC, GMA Integrated News