KB Kim Wan-soo, Woori Bank Wi Sung-woo, Hana Bank Kim Do-wan, BNK Park Jeong-eun, Samsung Life Insurance Ha Sang-yoon, and Shinhan Bank coach Guna Dan (bottom row, from left) who attended the women’s professional basketball opening media day, along with KB Na Yun-jung, Kang I-seul, and Woori, who attended the women’s professional basketball opening media day. Bank Lee Myeong-gwan and Kim Dan-bi, Hana Bank Jinan and Kim Jeong-eun, BNK Park Hye-jin and Kim Sonia, Shinhan Bank Choi I-sam and Shin Ji-hyeon, and Samsung Life Insurance Kang Yu-rim and Lee Hae-ran (top row, from left) are taking a commemorative photo. [연합뉴스]
“I will show you the skills of the defending champion.” (Asan Woori Bank Director Sangwoo Wi)
“I want to break away from the image of being ‘gentle’. “Winning is the goal.” (Yongin Samsung Life Insurance Director Ha Sang-yoon)
Coaches from six women’s professional basketball teams announced their plans ahead of the new season. The Women’s Korea Basketball League (WKBL) held a media day event opening the 2024-25 season with coaches and players attending at The Plaza Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul on the 21st. The women’s basketball regular season begins on the 27th with a match between Bucheon Hana Bank and Cheongju KB. Six teams will participate, and each team will play 30 games in six rounds.
In recent years, women’s basketball has been dominated by Asan Woori Bank and KB, but a ‘seismic change’ is expected this season. The leveling of power is evident as Woori Bank’s top guard Park Ji-hyun and Cheongju KB’s national treasure center Park Ji-su transfer to the Australian and Turkic leagues, respectively.
Park Ji-soo was a superstar who was evaluated as having more than half of KB’s strength. In addition to Park Ji-hyun, Woori Bank also transferred Park Hye-jin (Busan BNK) and Choi Lee-sam (Incheon Shinhan Bank) to other teams. On the other hand, Busan BNK quickly rose to the level of a championship contender by recruiting veteran guard Park Hye-jin and former scorer Sonia Kim.
With the ‘absolute power’ disappearing, the ‘Spring and Autumn Warring States Period’ of women’s basketball began, with all six teams challenging for the championship. Shinhan Bank coach Guna Dan said, “I was harsh to instill venom in the players. The miraculous ‘upgrade’ is currently in progress. “I will think of every game as a war and give it my all,” he said.
BNK coach Park Jeong-eun said, “We will show you an energetic performance in offense and defense. “When it comes to ‘energy level’, we have Sonia Kim, who is said to be at the top, and Park Hye-jin, who is dependable, so I will show you all the hard work I have put in with my ‘sisters’ at the forefront,” he said, expressing confidence.
Power leveling was also clearly revealed in a survey conducted by WKBL ahead of Media Day. In a vote among players to predict the winning team, Yongin Samsung Life Insurance received the most votes, 25 out of 103. However, in the media voting (total of 46 people), Busan BNK received the most votes with 20 votes. Also, in the fan vote in which 516 people participated, Woori Bank had the most votes with 159. The second-place candidate was BNK in the player and fan votes, and Woori Bank in the media vote.
There is another variable. This season, the ‘Asia Quota’ system was introduced to improve the international competitiveness of Korean women’s basketball, opening the door to Japanese players. All clubs scouted Japanese players, including Shinhan Bank recruiting former Japanese national team member Rika Tanimura to the Asian quota. KB and Woori Bank selected two people each. Team strength may rise or fall depending on the performance of Japanese players.
Meanwhile, the New York Liberty won the 5th game of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) championship game (3 wins out of 5) held on the 21st, defeating the Minnesota Lynx 67-62. New York, which won the series with a record of 3 wins and 2 losses, lifted the championship trophy for the first time since its founding. New York’s Jonquel Jones, who averaged 17.8 points and 7.6 rebounds in five games, was selected as the MVP of the championship game. It is a name that is also familiar to Korean basketball fans. Jones played for Woori Bank women’s professional basketball team in the 2016-17 season. At that time, Jones led Woori Bank to a combined championship by scoring 15.8 points and 13.6 rebounds in 35 regular league games. Jones is a representative player who achieved success in the WNBA after honing her skills in the WKBL.
