The brightest stars of Japan and the Philippines have teamed up in the B.League with Levanga Hokkaido.
Keisei Tominaga, a former college standout at Nebraska, found his way to Levanga after signing with the Indiana Pacers in 2024. He played for their G League affiliate, the Mad Ants, before returning to Japan.
For more than a year now, he has shared the court with another Division I alumnus in his own right, Dwight Ramos of Cal State Fullerton. Both are highly touted as key pieces of their respective national teams, with Tominaga representing Japan at the 2020 Summer Olympics and Ramos regularly donning Philippine colors.
The 25-year-old guard has nothing but respect for his Filipino teammate.
“He’s an amazing player for sure. He’s among the biggest pieces for us. He doesn’t smile a lot, but he always makes great plays for us, making shots, great effort on the defensive end,” he said.
“I like playing with him.”
Hokkaido is currently in the Philippines for the B.League Manila Games 2026, where it fell to Gunma on Wednesday, setting up its final face-off on Thursday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
There, Tominaga got his first taste of the Filipino crowd and saw firsthand the impact of Ramos’ stardom, with fans erupting in cheers every time their hometown favorite got his hands on the ball.
“I heard that about him before. I didn’t expect that, but it was cool. It was cool to see him play in front of his hometown here in his country,” he shared.
The 6-foot-2 guard himself also received plenty of admiration from the fans in attendance. Despite the opening loss, Tominaga led Hokkaido in scoring with 19 points.
“It feels good, but I couldn’t make shots in the second half, so I have to be better. Tomorrow I need to make more shots, and hopefully we’ll get the win.”
Tominaga earned the nickname “Japanese Stephen Curry” during his college days because of the similarities in their playing styles. However, he said he does not put much stock in what others say about his game.
Even while wearing the familiar No. 30 on his back, Tominaga takes pride in being himself.
“I don’t have that much pressure; I’m just trying to be myself, trying to do what I can do,” Tominaga added.
Although he is about to enter his second season in Japan’s top-tier professional league, the goal remains clear for the former Mad Ant: returning to the NBA.
With time on his side, Tominaga is willing to pursue any path that could lead him back to his ultimate dream.
“I’m trying to go back to the NBA as soon as possible. Right now, I’m just focusing on getting better every day, and hopefully I can make my dream come true.”
