“Honestly, when I started my career as a player in Wonju, I did not expect to be here for more than 20 years,” Kim told a news conference after early confirmation of the regular league title by winning 107-103 at a home game against Suwon KT in the 2023-2024 season at Wonju Gymnasium on Sunday. “I thought at first that it was far away, but it has become the longest place I have lived in. It is my first hometown. Thank you for your support and encouragement. I am very happy that I won the league title at home.”
Kim is a legend who won five regular league titles even when he was a player. He is the fifth KBL head coach to ever win a championship as a coach. “I’m happy for both of them. I felt great when I was a player, but I couldn’t do that today as a coach,” Kim said. “I’ll be happy to win the unified title. I’m glad that my players trust me and make me better.”
Kim feels special about “captain” forward Kang Sang-jae for this season. “He led the team well as captain. He plays a good middle role among the team’s seniors and juniors,” Kim said. “I feel even more proud that my original skills have reached full capacity this year.”
Turning Point was a cup competition that showed disappointing performance before the start of the regular season. “I was very angry as I got back to the bus after I failed. I watched the video for hours and had meetings with the players,” Kim said. “There are four to five days left before the opening of the game, but the training was intense. That made a big difference.”
In the DB on the day, Didric Lawson blasted KT with his personal record of 47 points. “Rawson is such a great player that I can’t even tell,” Kim said. “I think we have maintained our ranking to some extent because of this player. He has such a great presence. Of course, I think we need to win the MVP award for foreign players in the regular season.”
In this season’s DB, domestic player MVP is also engaged in a family fight. Lee Sun-bano, Kang Sang-jae, and Kim Jong-kyu are competing in the same team. The Asian quarter player is classified as a Korean player and can receive the prize. “Albano is excellent in both shooting and assist. His defense has improved and he deserves it,” Kim said. “I know that he has the highest contribution index.”
Now, DB will aim precisely at the championship game. DB, which went directly to the semifinal playoff, is waiting for the winner of the semifinal PO between the fourth and fifth-ranked teams in the league. DB’s last championship match was also held during the 2007-2008 season when Kim was the MVP based on his stellar performance during his time at Dongbu. “I will discuss the remaining regular league schedule with the coaches,” Kim said. “I will prepare while sharing the time of the main players. I will definitely enjoy the joy of winning the overall championship.”