In time for the 2020-21 Japanese B.League season, Japan’s professional men’s basketball league introduced the Asian Player Quotas system. This rule opened its door to select Asian cagers to play in the league not as a foreign player since each team can only have three imports.

When San-en NeoPhoenix signed former Ateneo Blue Eagle star Thirdy Ravena, he made history as the first-ever player to be signed in under the Asian Player Quotas system. After playing for four years with the San-en NeoPhoenix, Thirdy took his talent to Europe to play for the Dubai BC in the ABA League.

RJ Abbarientos, Greg Slaughter, and Robert Bolick also played in the Japanese B.League before returning home to the Philippines to play in the Philippine Basketball Association or the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League.

In the ongoing 2024-25 Japanese B.League season, six Filipino basketball players are currently playing in division one teams.

Kiefer Ravena

A year after his brother Thirdy signed in the Japanese B.League, former Ateneo Blue Eagle Kiefer Ravena followed Thirdy in 2021 when he joined the Shiga Lakestars. Kiefer’s entry to the Japanese B.League was uncertain since he had a Uniform Player Contract (UPC) with the NLEX Road Warriors and the PBA, which prohibited him from moving to another league.

Fortunately, Ravena was allowed to join the Shiga Lakestars after the NLEX Road Warriors ended their campaign in the 2021 PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinals. Kiefer debuted in the Japanese B.League when the Shiga Lakestars faced the San-en NeoPhoenix, where his younger brother Thirdy was playing. In his debut game, the older Ravena posted 11 points, eight assists, and three steals in his team’s 93-83 win.

Ravena finished his three-year run with the Shiga Lakers in 2024 when his contract was not renewed. Ravena transferred to Yokohama B-Corsairs for the 2024-25 season.

Dwight Ramos

Filipino-American Dwight Ramos was slated to play for the Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles in the UAAP Season 83, which was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He had a chance to enter the PBA Draft in 2021 but decided to forego it since he wanted to play alongside his younger brother in Ateneo.

However, Ramos also forgoes his one year of eligibility in the UAAP to play for Toyama Grouses in the Japanese B.League in 2021. In his only year with the Toyama Grouses, Ramos averaged 10 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.1 steals per game.

Just in time for the 2022-23 Japanese B.League season, Ramos joined Levanga Hokkaido, which finished seventh in the East District. In his first season with the team, Ramos averaged 10.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.5 steals in 43 games.

Ramos still plays for the Levanga Hokkaido in the Japanese B.League, serving as co-captain with Ren Shimatani.

Bobby Ray Parks, Jr.

Bobby Ray Parks, Jr., son of the legendary PBA import and his namesake, has been playing in the Japanese B.League since 2021. Parks first played for the Nagoya Diamond Dolphins in the 2021-22 Japanese B.League season, where he averaged 10.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.1 steals in 46 games.

He played for the Nagoya Diamond Dolphins for another two years, before taking his talent to Osaka Evessa for the 2024-25 Japanese B.League season. In the ongoing season, Parks averages 14.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game.

Before playing in the Japanese B.League, Parks first played in the NBA D-League for the Texas Legends in 2015. He then joined Alab Pilipinas in the ASEAN Basketball League in 2016, where he was named the local MVP of his debut season.

Parks then went on to play in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League for the Mandaluyong El Tigre in May 2018. He then entered the 2018 PBA Draft where he was selected by then-Blackwater Elite, before being traded to the TNT Tropang Giga.

Kai Sotto

After playing in the Australian National Basketball League (NBL), Kai Sotto signed a contract with the Hiroshima Dragonflies in the Japanese B.League. Initially, Sotto’s signed contract was only until the end of the 2022-23 Japanese B.League season, as he planned on joining the 2023 NBA Summer League.

In March 2023, Sotto posted his first double-double performance in the Japanese B.League with 21 points and 12 rebounds in the Hiroshima Dragonflies 90-72 win against the Ibaraki Robots. Sotto then played for the Orlando Magic in the 2023 NBA Summer League, where he played in the games against the Portland Trail Blazers and the Boston Celtics, where he sustained a back injury.

Returning to the Japanese B.League, Sotto played for the Yokohama B-Corsairs on loan from the Hiroshima Dragonflies for the rest of the 2023-24 season. With the Yokohama B-Corsairs, Sotto recorded his career-high 26 points with 11 rebounds in his team’s win over the Chiba Jets.

For the 2024-25 Japanese B.League season, Sotto joined the Koshigaya Alphas, which was promoted from the second division. In an injury-plagued season, Sotto suffered a sprained left ankle in Koshigaya’s 80-67 win over the Nagasaki Velca.

In January 2025, Sotto tore his left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in Koshigaya’s 77-79 loss against the SeaHorses Mikawa. Sotto will be sidelined for months as a result of his injury.

AJ Edu

Born and raised in Cyprus, AJ Edu signed his first professional contract with the Toyama Grouses in the Japanese B.League for the 2023-24 season. In his debut season with the team, he averaged 13.1 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 14 games. At the end of the 2023-24 season, Toyama Grouses was relegated to the second division after only winning four games in the entire season.

For the 2024-25 season, Edu transferred to Nagasaki Velca, averaging 5.7 points and 5.6 rebounds. The team is in sixth place in the west division with 7 wins and 9 losses.

Before playing professionally, Edu played for the Toledo Rockets in the NCAA Division 1 in the United States, where he was named to the Mid-American Conference (MAC) All-Freshman Team.

Edu has also represented the Philippine national men’s basketball team in several competitions, including the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup in the Philippines, Japan, and Indonesia.

Matthew Wright

Filipino-Canadian Matthew Wright has been in the Japanese B.League since 2022. After parting ways with the Phoenix Fuel Masters in the PBA, Matthew went to the Land of the Rising Son after signing a two-year deal with Kyoto Hannaryz.

In his debut game for Kyoto Hannaryz against the Sendai 89ers, Wright was scoreless but he recorded four assists and three rebounds. Against the Hiroshima Dragonflies, Wright recorded a season-high 26 points and eight assists in a losing effort. At the end of the season, he averaged 13.4 points, 4.7 assists, 3 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game.

In the 2023-24 season, Wright recorded his B.League career-high 31 points built on seven triples against fellow Filipino import Thirdy Ravena, which they lost. During the same season, Wright became the fifth Filipino but the fastest to score 1,000 points in the Japanese B.League, achieving it in just 80 games. Wright also holds the record for the most points scored by a Filipino import with 37 points in Kyoto Hannaryz’s win against the Saga Balooners.

For the 2024-25 Japanese B.League season, Wright transferred to the Kawasaki Brave Thunders, where he averaged 11.8 points, 3.3 assists, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.1 steals in 29 games.