By Jemuel Cainglet Salterio
Twenty-five-year-old hardcourt heartthrob Dwight Ramos has accomplished quite a lot in his sports career.
To date, he has played not only for Gilas Pilipinas, but for the Japan-based team, Levanga Hokkaido for two years now and has been making waves in Japanese basketball.
Admittedly an introvert, Dwight has no serious venture yet in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).
He is painfully shy and has no formal offers for any showbiz project. Yet, he is not discounting the possibility of maybe joining showbiz one day.
Born and raised in California, Dwight’s best physical assets are his “long legs and big butt.”
Undoubtedly, those assets helped him in his basketball career.
“Those are my strength,” Dwight admitted. “So I walk fast and jump high.”
Dwight started in basketball when he was a kid, at only five years old. “I previously tried other sports, but basketball became my favorite. Basketball is the one I really like. It’s in every Filipino’s blood.”
After a fan was seen praying behind Dwight’s back as if he was a religious icon, the former Cal State Pomona native was christened The Saint. “I’m just a regular dude and they call me Saint Dwight. I don’t even know. I’m cool with it.”
Dwight cannot be more thankful that he landed a stint with the Levangga Hokkaido team.
“You guys have been to Hokkaido? It’s the best city in Japan, one of the coldest, too, if you guys have been there. Best food in Japan. I definitely recommend guys to go there and visit.”
Just every year, Dwight manages to win his games for Levanga Hokkaido. “My first year, we managed to win again the Tokyo team and the second year, for another team. The best thing in the league is our best moment for the team.”
When he played for the FIBA World Cup. last year, Dwight didn’t expect to win the games.
“But we beat the first team in the tournament and they were the best team,” he said.
“We expected to win, We thought we would make it to the Olympics, but we lost in the semis. It was pretty disappointing. We lost that game. We could have done better, but we will do it again in the next World Cup. Hopefully, we’ll make it in the next.”
Dwight, who lives far away from his loved ones, does not have any hard core routine. When he’s out of the hard court, he plays “a lot of video games.”
Dwight’s life in Hokkaido is mostly on his own.
“My family comes to visit sometimes. I love to play basketball, so it’s life. Basketball, you kind of love it even by yourself. Do what you got to do.”
When he’s away, Dwight craves for adobo or sisig, which he wishes to eat even when he’s Japan. “I soon as I start eating them, those food bring me back to the Philippines.”
Recently, Dwight was signed up as image model of Lawson, which he gets to visit even when he’s in Japan. “Just the egg sandwich, split in half, I can finish at least three of that in one go,” he said.
“My favorite is the California style naked burrito. That was the best one and I heard a lot of people also like that one.”
In the next five years, Dwight sees himself playing for Gilas. “I’m not sure if I will still be playing in Japan or somewhere else,” he said. “Maybe even for the PBA.
“I just go year by year,” he said. “This year, I’ll try to do my best in Hokkaido. We’ll never know. Sometimes, I miss the Philippines when I’m in Japan. We’ll see in three years or two.”
Dwight is romantically involved with national volleyball star player and spiker Kim Kianna Dy for nearly five years now.
