Basketball veteran Kiefer Ravena becomes a rookie in his role as a family man with his wedding with Diana Mackey set in June.
Kiefer Ravena is eager to learn the ropes as the next chapter of his life nears, with his wedding to fiancé Diana Mackey set in the coming weeks.
On the heels of his contract extension with the Yokohama B-Corsairs, Ravena is also preparing for a big development in his personal life, as he and Mackey are also expecting a child in the coming months.
[READ: Kiefer Ravena hopes to build on consistency, chemistry in second B.LEAGUE season in Yokohama]
Already a veteran in basketball but relatively new in the conversation of family, the former Ateneo standout said that he is looking forward to get into that direction of his life, especially as he is already 31 years old.
“Of course, [I’m more motivated]. Just being able to start up a new direction of my life, being a family man, getting married next month, and just having a new motivation to play and continue to believe in the things and answer the question why I do this, di ba?” Ravena told reporters during the B.LEAGUE Finals watch party at Gateway Cubao on Sunday.
“So malaking factor siya for me into wanting to play more. It keeps me hungry, keeps me more competitive, and now I could easily say na you know, I’ll make basketball fun again knowing that I play for a few more people in my life.”
Having previously talked about his role in planning for his wedding, Ravena is also feeling giddy about having the ceremony so soon, with the duo deciding on Mackey being a “June bride.”
“Yes, actually, [the wedding is] in two weeks. So, I'm very excited and looking forward to the big day,” Kiefer said.
Still, the next step for Ravena does include a lot of adjustments and learnings. As a student of the game, Ravena hopes to apply the same principles as he learns from people around him on how to be a good husband and a good father.
“Mas ano to, mas mahirap to kesa sa laro. Pag laro, konting kembot kembot lang, pwede ka na maglaro. Dito, mas seryosohan yung pag aano mo eh. Marami na involved, hindi lang ikaw. But it's fun again. It's fun that you get to be along this journey with someone you deeply love,” he said.
“And me, as a basketball player, I've always been a student of the game. And now that I go into fatherhood and being a family man, I ask questions to the experienced ones. Get their knowledge, pick their brains, and hopefully apply it to my own,” Kiefer continued.
But Ravena isn’t setting any expectations on what his future child might be. Though excited at the prospect of having another basketball player in the family, or just an athlete in general, the 31-year-old is simply looking forward to having someone else to take care of.
“Wala pa [yung gender], wala pa. We'll see. It's no problem for me. I've always wanted to have a girl. I always wanted to be a girl dad too. There's nothing wrong with that,” said Ravena.
“You know, It's going to be fun. It's just a whole journey. Yung buong challenge lang. And may kasama ka makes it even more fun."