‘Who was the best dunk shooter of all time?’ It is true that the so-called shooter, whose main weapon is the domestic standard 3-point shot, seems to be a bit far from the dunk shot. If the 3-point shot is a means of attacking from the farthest distance, on the contrary, the dunk shot is scored closest to the rim. In my subjective opinion, ‘Dolphin Shooter’ Moon Kyung-eun and ‘Jim Carrey’ Seong-cheol Kim come to mind first.
Moon Kyung-eun is not a shooter who dunks a lot, but her so-called impact was strong. At a time when dunks were rarely seen, Moon Kyung-eun, who was a member of Yonsei University, changed the atmosphere with occasional dunks. In particular, the reverse back dunk was his monopoly. In January 1994, the back dunk at the basketball court party Korea Daejeon drove the fans who visited the stadium into a crucible of enthusiasm. The front page of various sports newspapers was decorated with pictures of Moon Kyung-eun’s back dunk.
Since then, as professional basketball has begun, the number of players actively attempting dunks has increased. The representative front runner was Yoon Young-pil and Kim Seong-cheol, a young blood duo of SBS (now KGC) at the time. The two, who boasted a hot energy level throughout the game, actively attempted dunks whenever they met, providing spectacular spectacle to the fans. In particular, Kim Seong-cheol (46‧195 cm), despite being a shooter, has emerged as a star of SBS Showtime basketball by showing splendid plays such as dunks every day. He was nominated in the 4th place in the first round, but he also won the rookie of the year after beating prominent competitors such as Jo Sang-hyun and Jo Woo-hyun.
As can be seen from his total record of 5177 points, 1355 rebounds, 1076 assists, 370 steals and 108 blocked shots in 507 regular league games, he left a heavy mark in the pros. Nevertheless, among the fans, there is a voice of regret that he could have become a bigger star. He was good enough, but there is a big reason why the expectations for his talent that he showed in his early days, such as when he was a rookie, were so high. He rewinded the basketball life of the Korean version of Jim Carrey, who revealed that although there were ups and downs as well as trials and tribulations, he was growing through them.
“I just had to refer to the part I played basketball during my active career.”
Q. How are you these days?
As you know, it hasn’t been long since I resigned from the DB coaching staff because of coach Lee Sang-beom. We are now enjoying a relaxing winter. I don’t know how long it’s been since I’ve been spending so much time at home in January. Most of the time, I was always busy during the season, and I got a little free from May or June. I have some time alone, so after a while I look back on myself and organize my thoughts.
Q. You seem to have a young son. Is he playing basketball by any chance?
Oh, did you see my KakaoTalk profile? It’s very old because it hasn’t been updated. All the photos there are from when I was young. It’s grown up a lot now. You can think of me as me. But I’m not playing basketball. I’m doing it a little bit as a hobby, but I think it’s accurate to say that I’m not playing basketball. First off, I’m not very interested. You can’t force it. After living in Jeju Island, I am currently attending a high school in San Francisco, USA where I have a dormitory. I want to increase my experience by experiencing various environments and cultures. Unlike me, he is quite chubby right now. (Laughs)
Q. Looking at recent photos, he doesn’t look much different from before.
I think that’s how I see it. I don’t know if it’s because I consume a lot or because my basal metabolic rate is high, but I don’t tend to gain weight. However, if you eat too much, you will gain weight. After I retired, I gained about 15 kg, so I went over 100 kg. , I couldn’t. In front of the mirror, I wonder if I look like myself, my body is heavy, and I only feel the disadvantages rather than the advantages. Even when I wear clothes, the clothes don’t come off. People around me say that my face has improved, but from my point of view, I don’t know what my face is like, but I really didn’t like my body.
Q. Are you constantly watching basketball?
sure. It came out in the middle of the season, so the season is in full swing. Even if I didn’t try to take special care of it, I was always on the basketball side, so my eyes and ears went naturally. Even if you’re resting, shouldn’t you be aware of the situation and flow going back? Aren’t all the people on the basketball side similar? I only encountered basketball every day, so what could be more interesting than that? Even when I just left the team, many thoughts crossed my mind, but now it’s been sorted out and I can see the situation objectively.
I think you must have felt and thought a lot during your coaching life at Q.DB.
Yes. Not only me, but those who are on the field as coaching staff change their thoughts and values in many areas while living as a leader. It was like that before, but the team went through ups and downs while serving coach Lee Sang-beom at DB. Sometimes the grades came out really well, and other seasons, no matter what I did, it didn’t work out… , The director must have had the hardest time in various aspects, but I also learned and felt a lot from the side. First of all, I thought it would be wrong to try to evaluate and teach players based on my playing career. I wasn’t even a star, but those who had a splendid active career have a tendency to teach based on what they trained and played. However, each person has different talents and aptitudes, and these days, basketball trends and the environment of the times have changed a lot. I thought a lot that I needed to make an effort to go along with myself instead of trying to fit myself. I just had to refer to the part I played basketball during my active career.
“I was a center until high school.”
Q. How did you start playing basketball?
I have been tall since childhood. So, in elementary school, athletics, to be precise, came into contact with sports through the long jump. He must have looked good because he was tall and had long limbs and a skinny body. Then, the teacher of the basketball club caught the eye of me and started playing basketball. Basketball was very popular at the time. Stars such as Lee Chung-hee and the late Kim Hyun-joon were also quite popular. A large part of the teacher persuaded my parents that basketball had better prospects than track and field.
Q. What surprised you the most when you started playing basketball?
It’s a kidney. I thought I was really big. In fact, at my school, I belonged to the tallest class. I was about 168cm when I was in my senior year of elementary school. Then, I won the Gyeonggi-do competition and went to the national competition, and I was surprised to see the players from Seoul or metropolitan cities. There are quite a few players in the world who are around 170cm in height. I thought there were great players like that in the world. I really thought I was a frog in the well. At that time, Gyeonggi-do was not as strong in basketball as it is now. Since Seoul is the center, it is natural, and there were quite a few strong teams in metropolitan cities such as Busan. As a result, players with great hardware, let alone skills, flocked to the school.
Q. You must not have been short at the time, but you grew up as a shooter rather than a big man.
no. I continued to work as a center until high school. In what era, would a big player be a shooter? Moreover, there were not many seniors in each school. It was after I entered Kyung Hee University that I changed my position to a forward. I graduated from Samil Commercial High School in high school, and my teacher at the time was director Lee Yun-hwan, famous for Lee Hyun-joong’s father. Samil Commercial High School is a strong team now, but at the time, it wasn’t a very strong team. It’s the same with other sports, but scouting is more important than anything in basketball. The rich and the poor tend to flock to schools with good grades. As mentioned earlier, schools in Gyeonggi-do were far from favored by basketball prospects. The players who were good in Gyeonggi-do went to Seoul. But apart from that, I remember that my colleague Kang Hyuk and I studied basketball diligently under the teacher.
Q. I think your name became known after entering Kyung Hee University.
There were several reasons. First of all, it must have been a big part that I wasn’t a player enough to make a name for myself in the national league. In addition, I think the fact that I couldn’t go to many national competitions also had an impact. At that time, local schools were often in poor financial condition. At that time, most of the tournaments were held in Seoul, but from the point of view of the local teams, it was impossible to ignore the part where a considerable number of people moved to eat and sleep. It was the same in our school, so there weren’t many participation in the competition itself. I was in a position where I had no choice but to pick a tournament where I could get good results, and even that was enough to make it to the semifinals if I did well, or to the finals if I was lucky. It was a difficult environment to make your name known unless you were overwhelmingly good enough to compete for first place in the national rankings.
Q. But you weren’t known until high school, right?
Yes. Even so, the name has been known little by little since high school sophomore year. Scout offers started coming in from all over the place. However, there were so many seniors who were ahead of me in terms of reputation in the same position, so I became the focus of scouting and couldn’t do that. At the time, I was in the big man position, going back and forth between 4th and 5th, and there were quite a few strong players on this side. Seo Jang-hoon, Park Hoon-geun, Jeon Hee-chul, Park Joon-young, Hyun Joo-yeop, Yun Young-pil, Byun Cheong-woon, and Kim Taek-hun, etc. There was also a classic big man in the orthodox sense, but now that I am playing back and forth like me, 3.5 to 4.5 players have been continuously produced. As a big man, I even went to the youth representative, but the hardware was thin and I was closer to the technical group than the power, so I received attention, but it was not a priority for negotiations.
“I think the success of transforming as a shooter and the clear sense of purpose had a big impact.”
Q. Why did you choose Kyung Hee University?
The reason is simple. Because there weren’t many options. As I mentioned before, I was interested, but I wasn’t a player who deserved to be evaluated as a priority for negotiations. To be honest, I did not prefer Kyung Hee University. Until our time, Kyung Hee University was not only a strong school, but it was also rumored that the training volume was heavy and the atmosphere was strict. Athletes who did well during the Ama era did not enter Kyung Hee University. As always, great fishermen flocked to Yonsei University, Korea University, and Chung-Ang University. Six or seven years after I entered the school, one or two prospective players from all over the country were scouted. I didn’t do very well either, so I can say that I went to Kyung Hee University.
Q. You grew up to be a shooter even though you are tall.
I think you were lucky in that aspect. In my case, I was tall, but I was skinny, so there was a limit to combat fighting under the goal. It wasn’t once or twice that I felt burdensome when I got close to a player who was a little smaller than me but had good muscles and strength. In fact, coach Choi Boo-young tried to raise Jang Chang-gon (194cm) as a tall forward ahead of me. Above all, it was a big merit that I knew how to shoot a 3-point shot from high school. On the other hand, I rarely threw 3-pointers. It was, at best, a middle shot. In such a state, suddenly trying to shoot a 3-point shot made me feel cramped. Unfamiliarity and fear of something you haven’t tried before? There were quite a few of them.
Q. As a result, what made you succeed in switching shooters?
I would like to think that the reason why there was a clear goal was great. I played the youth representative as a center, so now I have a desire to become a national representative as a forward. It was a really difficult time to become a national representative unless you graduated from Yonsei University or Chung-Ang University. As a graduate from a non-mainstream university, I had a desire to overcome that wall in my heart. In order to do that, you have to shoot really well beyond equipping a 3-point shot so you can’t compete with prominent players. A soccer player did that. The big international stage is a place to prove, not grow. I was a center until high school, but I changed my position and reorganized my playing style in college. Isn’t this good compared to your career? Words like that are completely useless when it comes to determining the best. Whether or not I have value as a national representative only affects the decision. At that time, our team had senior Yoon Young-pil, who was in the first year. In some ways, there are parts where I was able to change my position because he was there. Although he was not tall as a center, he was good at dirty work under the goal and was full of fighting spirit. Since I entered as a freshman, Director Choi probably hasn’t been drawing. Youngpil and his older brother fight inside, and I play as a big forward to and from my outskirts.
Q. Some tall players say that they get scolded when they shoot outside shots, but on the contrary, they say they get scolded when they try to play under the net?
It was. I think the coach also saw that it was not easy for me to become a big man at the bottom of the goal due to limitations such as my body shape. Instead, he seemed to be able to handle the ball to some extent and had a good sense, so he decided that it was just a matter of increasing the shooting distance. In order to do that, you have to properly equip the shot, but this was not easy. I never threw properly until high school, so how can I throw a 3-point shot skillfully overnight? In other words, it is to ask former shooters to suddenly learn the post-up skill. In any case, the director kept an eye on my various aspects and pointed out and scolded me. In particular, due to the habit built into my body, when I tried to play under the goal, I was literally given a bad command. Now, there are many all-around players who play well in the net and shoot from the outside, but back then, division of labor basketball was the mainstream. Depending on the opponent, I wanted to shoot outside shots or post-ups, but the coach didn’t like it. I was given the role of almost throwing away the bottom of the goal and going around the perimeter to shoot, but it didn’t work out like I wanted. If I see a small gap, I will go under the goal without even realizing it. Then again, the director yelled at me. I desperately realized how difficult it is to change habits. Now that I think about it, I had a hard time, but the director must have had a hard time too. I am really grateful for the part that raised me with perseverance until the end.
“Early education had a great influence on the combat power unique to Kyung Hee University graduates.”
Q.Anyway, Kyunghee University’s grades weren’t bad at the time. At that time, the main members were also nominated with good rankings in the rookie draft.
The results were quite good, better than expected. Even when I and (Kang) Hyuk entered as freshmen, no one would have expected that we would become a dark horse that would make even the most successful teams at Kyunghee University, where we were the main players, nervous. That’s also true, the members at the time weren’t high in name value until they were in high school. To be honest, there are not many people who entered Kyung Hee University because they really liked it. It didn’t have a choice. In the case of Hyuk, he was also great in the pro, but he would have been pushed behind in the rankings of his peers even when he was just entering Kyunghee University. The coach picked out the unfinished standbys and trained them rigorously, and the players who survived to the end gained vitality like weeds.
Q. The word “weed-like vitality” really comes to mind. I think the Kyung Hee University graduates stood out for their perseverance.
In the early days of professional basketball, a large part of the atmosphere and culture of the basketball party has been carried over. As well as the amount of training, I also raised my fighting spirit and grit unintentionally, but in the process, sometimes accompanied by abusive language and violence… , Graduates of Kyung Hee University had a good early education in that area, so they were rarely intimidated or discouraged in difficult situations.
Q. There might not have been any college coaches who weren’t strict at the time, but among them, Choi Bu-young was famous for his appendicitis.
I think it was almost top of the top. It was a time when even leaders who seemed mild-mannered on the outside were actually quite scary, but the bishop had a reputation as an almost openly scary leader. It’s called a tiger and that’s it. It can be more than anything you can imagine. In a way, I don’t think that was the best thing for him. He himself is a graduate of the non-mainstream Kyunghee University, and he is a person who survived the basketball game like a stickler. There must have been many trials in that process, and he had a great desire to win against mainstream universities. However, the reality is that it is true that it has always been pushed back in scout wars. From a sports standpoint, four years of college isn’t that long to make a big difference to a player’s skills and mentality. The director became a tiger during that period to bring up his maximum. At that time, most of the players who learned basketball under him were full of combat power.
Q. Do you agree with Director Choi Boo-young’s teaching method?
It’s not like that. As a person who suffered too much, if I had to go back then, well… , I don’t have confidence. (Laughs) Times have changed, and I personally prefer basketball where I work hard because I like myself. Leaders maintain motivation through advice and empathy. No matter how strongly you whip it from the side, you can’t be faster than a horse that runs excitedly. Even if I don’t tell you, the director’s teaching method is widely known and there are many likes and dislikes. It’s just that I’m getting older, so I thought about why he did that. Maybe he did it because he liked it too. I think you decided that it was the best in the environment you were in at the time. He was also stubborn in taking care of his disciples.
Q. You said that you were scolded a lot in the process of changing positions.
tell me what to do I had mental cracks several times a day. I don’t know what it would be like if I included the previous seniors that I hadn’t experienced, but people have the most difficult time. It was just very, very difficult. physically and mentally… , But I thought I was doing well. From the time I entered college, I set my own goals and moved forward step by step without flirting. Even if no one did it coercively, they were gritting their teeth and whipping themselves in the direction they wanted. However, there were many times when my willpower was broken as the intensity of the spirits became incomprehensible. I used to have doubts about whether actions such as not shooting outside shots unconditionally and hitting post-ups using mismatches from under the goal were enough to break so badly. It’s hard right now, but can I endure this situation and go towards the path I’m aiming for in the future? I was distrusting myself. I also stood at a crossroads in my career as an athlete.
“I regret not being able to grow my dream more intensely and run
. ” Have you always been interested in dunking?
Ha ha ha… , did you? I had forgotten about it for a while, but it suddenly came to my mind. I just want to say something, rather than being interested in the dunk itself, I wanted to play a lot of different things, but I think that instinct was especially expressed in the early days, including when I was a rookie. There is something I sometimes say to my acquaintances as a joke. If I had met a coach like me now during my playing days, I would have grown even more. I’m not saying that I’m exceptionally capable and a good teacher. Every player is different both physically and mentally. I think it should be taught differently depending on it. If there is something you are good at, you need to push the growth direction in that direction. Well, at the time, I was in a set frame, and I had to just do it regardless of my personal characteristics. If I’m the right type for that, I’ll hear that I’m talented and I’ll grow up quickly, but players who don’t fit the method and don’t fit are bound to be weeded out even though they have sufficient potential. In my case, I was raised as a shooter or forward late in college. At the time, shooters who were good at taking shots while looking for space were the best, but it was difficult to do better than my friends who had been active as shooters for a long time before me. Because the experience itself is different. On top of that, since I came from a center, my feet were inevitably slower than those of professional shooters. To be precise, it would be correct to say that I was pushed behind in that aspect of the staff as a shooter. So I think I had a lot of time to think about my playstyle at the time.
Q. What was the conclusion of your thoughts?
Do you have any conclusions? Since I was young, I wanted to become a player who was good at all sorts of things like senior Heo Jae, rather than simply being good at one thing. Of course, it would be difficult to follow such a great senior, but I thought of him as a role model. So, after entering the professional league as a rookie, I thought I wanted to show as many things as I could. Basically, he faithfully took his movements as a shooter, but he did not insist on only shooting 3-point shots, but actively attempted middle shots and drives, and when he felt the opportunity, he boldly took dunks. Rather than being particularly interested in dunking, it would be more accurate to say that it was an extension of what I was trying to do without hesitating to play what I could in that situation. Human growth begins with curiosity and interest. In my early days as a pro, I was full of that.
Q. It was a time when it was difficult to see domestic players dunking, but it was really nice to see the spirit of attempting dunks whenever there was a chance.
Seeing that you talk about dunking a lot, it seems that you are stuck in that direction. (Laughs) How to say, it was like that when I entered Kyunghee University, but I had various thoughts and resolutions in my heart while I was a pro. In particular, during my time at Kyung Hee University, there were a lot of things I couldn’t do because I was under pressure, so I wanted to show everything I could do once in a pro. That’s why I tried to break through more boldly and aggressively, and when I saw the rim in front of me, I didn’t care whether it was a layup or a dunk, and I launched the best attack I could in that situation. Especially when it comes to dunking, timing is important. You shouldn’t hesitate. If you want to do it, you have to go in boldly and take a picture. Scoring in a decisive situation Moreover, the fans liked it when a goal was scored with a dunk. I think it’s a pro to show like that.
Q. The scene where you took a face dunk with Seo Jang-hoon in front of you is also remembered as one of the best scenes.
ah… , I remember. At that time, I had a nasal bone injury and was running with a face mask. During the game, I went up to take a layup shot, but there was a collision with senior Kim Jae-hoon, who was a defender. In the process, I got hit by an elbow and broke my nose bone. Of course, the senior must have been unintentional, and it is a situation where he was not very lucky. He had no choice but to wear a mask and go to the game. There is a part where people become more courageous after they are seriously injured. I had no intention of doing anything in particular, but the opportunity came and I wanted to see an opening, so I boldly attempted a dunk. I didn’t even have time to be conscious of who my opponent was. Senior Seo Jang-hoon is the best big man in Korea. If you were conscious, you might have failed. If you’re just ignorant, you’re brave, and you can see the rim in your eyes, so I jumped up.
Q. But as time goes by, the flashy play you did when you were a rookie pro didn’t come out.
Now, the word nangjungjichu is widely used. At the time, it was said that an angular stone is right. The fans liked it, but there were many people who didn’t like it when the newcomer just dunked it. He liked to go with me in a calm manner, but he must have thought that he was showing off what he was doing like me. Once, I tried to dunk in a scoring chance and failed, but after the game, I was hit by a senior’s ear. Are you trying to become a star by yourself? From next time on, they scolded me to do normal layups. Having been criticized and scolded for my play style, my self-confidence was waning without my knowledge.
Q. Isn’t confidence the lifeblood of a professional player?
Yes. As he noticed, he said that as time passed, he refrained from bold play. He honestly didn’t have to do that until he became a senior, even if it wasn’t for the annual leave. He’s forced to do what he can’t do and be bold in what he can do, as long as it doesn’t hurt the team. The more colorful the play itself is, the more pleasing the eyes of the fans are. However, once I got used to it, I wonder if the Dak-dol mode in the early days didn’t come out well. Instead, there must have been something better in terms of seasoned beauty, but there were many opinions that were regrettable among those who had been good at it since I was a rookie like you. Thanks to your question, it gave me an opportunity to look back at the time I had forgotten.
Q. Nevertheless, there are opinions that it is regrettable that you have grown bigger than you did in your early days.
you’re right. Looking back, I can think of many reasons, but most of all, I think it was the lack of earnestness and direction for the secondary goal. I’m one of those people who believes imagination becomes reality. So even when I wasn’t playing basketball, I thought a lot and set goals. Especially when I was a rookie. After that, I think I should have set bigger goals and dreamed. In a way, the things I said before that I noticed and did that also seem like excuses. There must have been a time like that for players who have grown much bigger than me. Even in that situation, they had a clear standard for their next goal 안전놀이터and would have worked harder to match it. I would like to try to protect something and not settle down.
Q. Is there any part that your experience at the time influenced your life as a leader?
Yes. At least, I don’t want to give the players who are with me the regret of the time. Each player has different limits of talent and skill, but I would like to say that you should do whatever you can. I emphasized it a lot even when I was a leader. Players with the qualities of a star player need not be afraid to be criticized. Ace or clutch players are also called double-edged swords. Even if you are sluggish, you can hit a decisive moment and become the main character, or if not, you will be cornered as a traitor. However, if there is something you are good at, you should not hesitate during the game. That way, more good moments can come. This also applies to bench members who do not have much playing time. Players who are strong at shooting are told not to break through in defense, but instead to shoot boldly when a chance comes. If one or two don’t go in, if you stop, the meaning of the appointment will be lost. You have strengths in that area, so you invested in it and you just have to focus on it. That is your role now. Entering or not entering is the next problem. If three or four shots do not go in, it is judged that the shooting feeling is not good that day, and the bench automatically subtracts them. Instead, if you play with a bad situation in your head in advance, you will not be able to do this. Be shameless. Even though you are a bench member, when the opportunity comes, throw a shot confidently and leave it to the coaching staff to decide what happens next. I tend to buy it in advance from the court and emphasize that there is no need to worry.
“I want to become a person who grows up with an attitude of always learning
. ”
It’s like that after hearing you say it. Cho Sang-hyun, Jo Woo-hyun, Hwang Seong-in, Kang Hyuk, Jo Dong-hyun, Ha Sang-yoon, etc., but they did well, but I clearly remember the case that took a long time as a player. In fact, our student number is somewhat different from the golden generation. In the 1970s, students in the early and mid-half were seniors, but there were so many prominent stars, so I guess I was pushed back or pushed back a bit during the Amazon days. It was a time when a lot of ace-class players, who used to make opponents nervous with only their strength, were pouring out. But in Pro, it was a little different. Our class wasn’t easy either. In the case of players who have played a lot of roles that are clear, such as being active as an ace or main gun since school days, there seems to have been cases where their role in the pros decreased or they were asked to play in a different direction, and in that case, their lives were short-lived. However, since our class started from the middle, should I say it is self-sufficient? It was quite strong in that area. I took on a role I didn’t prefer or survived like a stickler.
Q. It’s a heartbreaking dark history, but I can’t help but mention it. After I hit my junior Ki Seung-ho with my elbow during the game, my image got a little worse.
oops… , I have nothing to say about that part even if I have ten mouths. It’s being talked about all the time. Ki Seung-ho caused a violent accident at a Hyundai Mobis dinner party. At that time, I felt sad, but on the other hand, I thought that I would be mentioned again, but it was different, but the incident at the time was summoned again from here and there. This is why players really need to be careful and careful until the moment they retire. Honestly, no matter what I say, it feels like an excuse and I feel heavy myself, but since you asked me first, I have to give you an answer. Ki Seung-ho and I have a big age difference, but we practiced a lot before becoming pros, and we got used to each other. It was 2009. I belonged to ET Land, and Ki Seung-ho was a freshman at LG. At the time, we played matchups with each other, but it was particularly rough when defending. Rough is good. Where are the seniors and juniors on the court? They desperately attack and block each other. The problem is that it crossed the line.
Q.Are you crossing the line?
In fact, if I was blocked simply because Ki Seung-ho was good at defense, I can’t say anything from the senior’s point of view. I was pushed behind in the matchup, but what can I say about it. However, Ki Seung-ho’s defense at the time was not like that. Movements that could lead to serious injuries continued. The moment he jumped down, he kept coming under. Horrible things continued to happen. So he didn’t want to do it, so he went to the side and kept talking. It’s good to defend rough, but let’s not play that can hurt each other. And yet it won’t stop. you really shouldn’t I kept warning until the third time that this was not the case. Moreover, I had a back injury, so there was something very sensitive on my back, but once it came into my knee toward my back after I fell. In an instant, the string of rationality was severed. In the end, I did something I shouldn’t have done.
Q. I was surprised that you hit it so openly.
Phew… , Iknow, right. Some people jokingly said that if they were so angry, they could retaliate tactfully, but why did they hit me so openly? I’ve never done such a savvy retaliation, and if I had been alive like that, I wouldn’t have regretted it for the rest of my life. Of course, these words do not mean to justify my actions at the time. If that’s the case, there must be a reason for all the violence in the world. I deeply regretted it, but it was too late, and I still regret it and reflect on it. Well, it’s a good thing, I don’t talk about this kind of thing anywhere. It’s spitting in my face. He asked me through an interview, and I was momentarily conflicted about whether I should answer or not, but I thought it would be right to tell you what I did wrong a hundred thousand times anyway. I want to tell my younger players as well. look Due to the wrong behavior that occurred during the game, even after a long time has passed, it has been continuously mentioned, scolded, and reflected. I hope you never do anything you’ll regret.
Q. Did the incident at the time have an impact on the second half of your career as a player or your life as a coach?
I guess. I thought that I needed to put my mind down a little more and have a deeper understanding of the situation. Even when a violent situation came, I thought about it over and over again and tried to deal with it as calmly and rationally as possible, so I gradually got used to it later. In addition, I am learning as I get older that although there is no direct connection, there are many times when we need to take the lead with actions rather than words. I remember thinking over and over again about why I was chosen when I went to the Asian Games as a national team along with coach Yoo Jae-hak. At the time, I was well past my prime as a veteran. The coach briefly told me about what I needed as a senior, and I tried to act accordingly. Whether it’s the coach or my juniors, I tried to listen carefully when I was talking about this and that, and I tried to be more diligent than younger players in training. It was the same when he gained experience as a guest coach for the D-League team affiliated with the NBA Phoenix Suns after retiring. I was ignored a lot at first because I went personally rather than officially because I received support. My friends who are much younger than me make me do chores like cleaning. The moment I was about to crack my mentality, I changed my mind. Did I come to America to be treated? You are here to learn and experience. From the next day, I went to work an hour earlier, cleaned in advance, and did chores like this. It felt different when I was told to do it and when I did it voluntarily. (Laughs) I remember that the friends started to open up little by little, as if they were sincere.
Q. Do you remember that you were nicknamed Jim Carrey?
sure. I usually have a good ability to catch the characteristics of something. One day, someone asked, “Do you have a lot of eye fatigue?” So how did you know? They say that they can see that they spend a lot of energy seeing through things more than others. Maybe that’s why I caught the characteristics of movie or cartoon characters from a young age and tried to imitate them a lot. I wondered if Jim Carrey would have a talent to show when he came to the pro scene, but the movie The Mask was such a hit that I watched it and tried to imitate it, and a lot of people burst out laughing.
Q. Lastly, please say hello to the fans who support Kim Seong-chul, the basketball player.
Even now, I will not forget the voices of the fans who supported and encouraged me even though I was lacking in many ways. I should have done better and showed a better image, but sometimes I was disappointed and I still feel sorry for that. I will always strive to become a better person, even if it is one step at a time, without forgetting the attitude of always learning. Spring is coming. I wish you a warm and good day like spring sunshine.