Kiefer Ravena knows the pro basketball life isn’t forever, but he’s got a game plan for what comes next.
On a cloudy Thursday afternoon, Benny Coffee & Brunch, a cafe along the busy streets of Katipunan, is packed. Every table is occupied, filling the brightly lit space with a pleasant harmony of students typing, friends chatting, and espresso machines brewing. But there is more to this cafe than meets the eye. Walking through two red swing doors at the back of the cafe welcomes customers to Chérie Cocktails, a dimly lit speakeasy bar that comes to life after the clock strikes 6:00 p.m.
The two concepts are day and night (quite literally), but it’s exactly what Kiefer Ravena and his business partners envisioned when they opened the place.
“Ever since, I’ve been a very big coffee fan,” Kiefer tells The GAME.
“I’ve always wanted to put up a cafe on my own, but it’s always the time and the whole process of conceptualizing it. It’s really hard for me to be hands-on.”
As he recalls, moving to Japan to play in the Japanese B.League only made him appreciate coffee even more (though he admits, he hasn’t quite gotten into the matcha craze just yet). Thus, when some of his childhood friends introduced this concept for a cafe-bar a few months ago, he felt compelled to say yes.
Months later, he is proud of how this idea transformed into reality.
“[We cater to] everybody at every age,” Kiefer proudly explains. “We have good music, we make sure that everybody’s accounted for…Also, our market here is mostly the families, the parents in the villages around, and also the students after school.”
With all the variables put together, it indeed looked like a promising business opportunity, and judging by the full house, whatever risks might have been involved appear to have been worth taking.
But Kiefer Ravena is a busy guy. The former Blue Eagle hasn’t even lived in Katipunan in a long time.
After spending three years with the Shiga Lakes in the Japanese B.League, and unsurprisingly becoming one of the team’s top players who was instrumental in winning their 2023-24 B2 Championship, Kiefer has recently signed with another Japan team, the Yokohama B-Corsairs. Evidently, his international playing career is still unfolding. So it begs the question — why add even more to one’s plate?
To Kiefer, the answer is simple. He knows he can’t play basketball forever.
Kiefer the realist
This is a reality that all athletes, whether they like it or not, are gripped with — the fact that the time will come when they can no longer shoot, sprint, or move the way they used to.
But Kiefer Ravena doesn’t beat around the bush. He knows that one day the word “former” will be added to his label of “professional basketball player.” And he has welcomed this fact long before he became known as the “phenom.”
As he recalls, “My dad was a professional player, and he would always tell me that basketball can’t be forever. It’s easy when money comes in and things like that, but after everything, when you can’t play anymore, what are you gonna do? So it’s important to start planning for the future as soon as possible, as soon as you start playing basketball, so you’re not surprised when it stops.
“It’s inevitable,” Kiefer says matter-of-factly. “There will come a day na talagang mawawala ‘yung basketball. So it’s up to you how you would move on from the life of being an athlete to a normal guy.”
Embracing this reality rather than fearing it allowed for Kiefer’s affinity for the business world to come about. From a young age, he was always interested in opportunities that would help him find success, as well as some insurance, even outside of basketball.
“[It was around] late high school when my mom would let me know about the stock market. That’s how I started, my mom told me, ‘If you want to try it, okay. Might as well.’ When you’re in high school, you don’t have anything to spend on anyway, so I was very blessed that I started investing early so I could watch my money grow.”
From that point, Kiefer understood the value of searching for success outside of the basketball world, even while he was rising to fame for his on-court skills.
Kiefer Ravena became a household name when he was playing for the Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles as he led the team to four Final Four appearances, won two UAAP Championships, and became a Rookie of the Year and two-time MVP awardee. With this, many looked to him as the next best thing for Philippine basketball. But apart from his on-court persona, he also began to reach a new level of celebrity; on top of being a star player, he also became an influencer, a brand ambassador, and a media personality, among other things.
But little did his fanbase of thousands know that behind the scenes, he was building his “stock,” so to speak, in other, less public ways.
“I started back when I was in college. Every small amount of money that I would be able to save, I would invest it, knowing that basketball is not forever,” he reveals.
It’s this forward-thinking that has motivated Kiefer to go out of his way to seek out opportunities that will benefit him down the line, whether this is venturing into businesses, or, as many of his fans might already know, investing in insurance plans, as he does with Cocolife. Since 2020, the Filipino-owned stock life insurance company has been very supportive of Kiefer’s career, keeping him grounded throughout the many opportunities that have come his way.
“Since I started at a young age, now that I’m at my age, I have a little bit more financial freedom. Of course, now I don’t have to worry about where to start, because I already had something that I started back when I was in college.”
While it may be challenging for some people who have followed Kiefer’s career since day one to imagine the phenom as a suit-and-tie-business type, his innate hunger and drive for success that we so often see on the court doesn’t take much to find when he wears his entrepreneur hat. In fact, when we asked him if his highly competitive nature comes across in his side hustles, he was quick to answer, “Siyempre.“
“I think if you want to dive into something, parang you can’t really dive into it half-heartedly. You might as well go all out,” he asserts.
It’s evident that Kiefer’s competitive spirit has brought him all the opportunities that he’s had in his life, both on and off the court.
Living in the moment
It doesn’t feel like very long ago when Kiefer Ravena was still an up-and-comer — arguably the up-and-comer — coming out of Ateneo. But time flies, and now the five-time Southeast Asian Games gold medalist is 30 years old, and come October, will be 31.
Reaching the 30-year-old mark can come with many connotations, especially for athletes. Once athletes hit this milestone, they aren’t rookies anymore; they’re veterans. And along with this comes more and more questions about the future.
Perhaps this is why Kiefer laughs when we ask him what it’s like being in his thirties. But he responds with a smile, saying, “Feels good, actually. Feels good.”
“For me, in terms of a lot of things, there’s a lot of firsts…I’m enjoying it so far. And sometimes you get pressured, you get confused. And when you see your peers [and compare yourself]…Sometimes you can mistake it, and sometimes you can feel pressured.
“But sometimes, you don’t need to feel pressured. Sometimes, [for others], life is just starting for them. ‘Di ba, minsan nga sabi naman, life starts at 40, at 50, or whatever.
“So for me, right now that I’m in my 30s, I’m cherishing it. Especially now that I get to enjoy time with family, with friends, and just being around the city na wala kang iniisip.”
Kiefer is able to maintain a refreshed outlook as he’s just about to get into the thick of his thirties. A big part of this could be the fact that where he is now is where the 20-year-old version of himself envisioned for the future.
He lists down the goals he hoped to reach by 30: “In terms of basketball, it’s close. I’ve always wanted to play abroad, I’ve always wanted to represent the country.” The Filipino basketball star has already achieved both these goals, and he is still allowing his career to unfold, as he is just about to head into a new chapter with the Yokohama B-Corsairs in Japan.
Looking beyond his basketball career, as Kiefer so often does himself, another reason for the basketball star’s relaxed mindset towards the future is also the simple fact that he is ready for it. As he revealed, he’s been preparing for this ever since he was in high school.
“It’s just being about open,” he says. “There will come a time when your body really won’t be able to handle it and you have to embrace it…Being an athlete, you want to take care of your body as much as you can, to play as long as you can, but at the same time, you also need to prepare for the things that are beyond your control.”
But, as much of a do-it-all guy Kiefer is, he still couldn’t go after his on-court and off-court goals without a little help, which is why Cocolife has been a huge part of his life.
“When it comes to my financial education, I’m surrounded by great people from Cocolife, and at the same time, they have different ways of helping different people based on their needs, whether when it comes to health or investments — different things so that you don’t have to worry about them. Kasi alam mo, when you put your money with them, it’s like you get to work freely because you know your money is safe, your investment is safe, you wouldn’t worry about — knock on wood — getting sick because you have something to back you up.”
Kiefer Ravena has been an ambassador for Cocolife for four years now and has built a foundation of trust with his team. In fact, he refers to them as his “family.”
It makes sense that he views Cocolife in this manner, as the company is designed to be much like a family member, as it acts as a guidepost for its clients at any stage in one’s life. From starting your career from the ground up to preparing for your first big purchase; or from starting your own family to retirement plans — Cocolife sees its clients through all the way ‘til the final buzzer.
But beyond this, Cocolife also supports Kiefer’s side hustles outside of his career as a basketball player, as they even have products and services that help protect business owners like himself.
This is why Cocolife’s tagline is “Believing in the Filipino.” Kiefer can attest to this firsthand.
“Hindi ako mapapabayaan. That’s how Cocolife has been playing a big role in my off-the-court career,” he says. “There will always be risks, but with them, the risks get smaller and smaller and smaller knowing that, again, you’re more sure.”
All of this put together, from his future-oriented thinking as a high school student to his support from Cocolife, has given Kiefer the freedom he needs to simply enjoy where he is in his life, which is what anyone his age would want.
“That’s what has helped me to keep going. Kahit alam kong hindi magiging forever ‘yung basketball, alam ko na safe ako when the time comes. That’s probably why I embraced the idea of retirement.”
The not-so-scary future
Many athletes struggle with the idea of retirement. Some even avoid the mention of the word. But not Kiefer Ravena. He knows that even though life is filled with the unexpected, retirement is one thing that is, as he says, “inevitable.”
Kiefer, however, still has a while to go before that reality fully takes shape. After all, he just signed a two-year deal with Yokohama B-Corsairs and has even won the Williams Jones Cup with Strong Group Athletics, which continues to keep his fire for competition alive.
But already, he’s thinking a little further down the line. Old habits die hard, as they say, and this is one habit Kiefer has kept consistent throughout his life.
Looking ahead, he reveals, “Five to ten years from now, I see myself coaching, to be honest. I see myself coaching as work, something related to basketball. Hopefully, have my own sports agency, help the younger generation of basketball players, and athletes in general, to blossom in their careers and respective crafts, and at the same time, educate them with the money that they have. That’s also part of the things that I want to put in my agency.
“And hopefully having a good family, a strong and healthy family with at least two kids. That’s the plan. That’s in my own perfect world,” he says with a smile.
It will still be a while before Kiefer dives into these upcoming chapters he sees for himself. But even so, he already speaks with the wisdom of his 30 years.
His whole life, he did not have things simply handed to him. He worked — on the court and off of it — to create a life that he’s not only proud of but that he is comfortable with. And with the backing he’s received from his loved ones and his “family” at Cocolife, the 30-year-old has amassed a wealth of support to see him through whatever endeavor he may overtake from this point on.
Now, the future is closer to him than it has ever been. But none of it frightens him. If anything, it only energizes him.
With the strong foundation he has built for himself, he knows he’s free to simply live life to the fullest.
Text ANNIKA CANIZA
Photography MARK DOOKIE DUCAY
Creative Direction MARC YELLOW and CAS ASEOCHE
Hair and Grooming JANINA DIZON
Styling GENO KARLO ESPIDOL and JERMAINNE LAGURA from QURATOR STUDIO
Sittings Editor SID VENTURA
Shot on Location BENNY COFFEE AND BRUNCH
Production Coordination ANTHONY MENDOZA and SHEM BARINAGA
In Partnership With COCOLIFE
Like Kiefer, you can secure your future too. Visit Cocolife’s website to discover more about their wide range of insurance products.