MANILA – After playing basketball in Japan for four years now, Dwight Ramos is looking forward to sharing the B.League culture to Filipinos.
In a press conference on Thursday, B.League Executive Officer Nao Okamoto announced they are bringing two pre-season games to Manila in September.
Okamoto believes this event will serve as a "bridge" between the Philippines and Japan through basketball and love for the sport.
Levanga Hokkaido's Ramos will battle fellow Gilas Pilipinas standout AJ Edu and the Gunma Crane Thunders on September 9 and 10 at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Ramos, who has gained a following in Japan, is excited to give a glimpse of his work overseas to his fans at home.
"I think it's very exciting and it's gonna be a pretty big game for the B.League and also because the Filipinos love basketball. It's a chance to experience two teams that you probably can't really watch unless it's on the screen. But now you get to see it in person," he said.
"I'm excited the B.League will get to create the nice experience that we have in Japan, how they are going to bring that over to the Philippines. So I'm very excited to see how it goes," Ramos added.
READ: Japan B.League to hold first overseas games in Manila
The 27-year-old guard said one of the B.League experiences he hopes to see in the Manila games are the team introductions.
"Every team has their own home arena, they have a nice intro, they have like a halftime show, pre-game ceremony type of thing. And I'm just excited how they're gonna bring that to Mall of Asia," Ramos said.
"That's one thing fans really like in Japan. You don't just have regular intros, they have a whole presentation on when players are introduced. I'm excited to see the presentations," he added.
Aside from bringing the B.League closer to Filipinos, Ramos wants his Japanese teammates to experience the Pinoy hoop culture.
Filipinos are known to be very passionate when it comes to basketball, as seen in the support Pinoy hoop stars like Ramos get even when they are overseas.
Ramos said he wants his teammates to have a good time and feel the Filipino warmth and hospitality during their visit here.
"Hopefully they get to see just how the Filipinos are so passionate during the game. Because Japanese fans are not yelling in the crowd and nothing. But you know the Filipinos are definitely doing that," he shared.
The B.League games in Manila is backed by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas, Philippine Basketball Association and the Embassy of Japan in the Philippines.
Ticket selling for the event is expected to begin in mid-June.