“We will be stronger”
The Wonju DBs finished first in the regular season in 2023-2024. It had been six years since the 2017-2018 season. For that reason, DB had high expectations for the postseason.
However, DB couldn’t get past Busan KCC in the quarterfinals of the playoffs. They missed the chance to play for the championship. And then came the challenge. It was free agency.
Kim Jong-kyu (206 cm, C), Kang Sang-jae (200 cm, F), Choi Seung-wook (195 cm, F), and other key big men hit the market. Kang Sang-jae stayed with DB, but Choi Seung-wook left for Goyang Sono. Therefore, 카지노 Kim Jong-kyu’s move attracted more attention.
However, Kim Jong-kyu posted a long post on his social media on the evening of the 16th. In the second half of the post, he shared his feelings honestly. “I have a star in my heart that I’ve had since I started playing basketball in elementary school. In the coming season, I will jump even higher so that I can bring the green star to the hearts of Windy fans in Wonju, which will be hotter than this year,” he wrote.
It was good news for DB fans. Kim Jong-kyu showed his intention to stay with DB. In fact, Kim Jong-kyu re-signed with DB for a “contract period of three years” and a total compensation of 600 million won (salary: 450 million won, incentive: 150 million won) for 2024-2025.
“I decided to sign the contract long ago, but there were many stories and speculations, so rather than announcing the news of my re-signing in an article, I wanted to tell you what I was thinking in advance, so I posted the article before signing,” Kim Jong-kyu said.
He continued, “I had a fun and wonderful season in DB. Coach Kim Joo-sung, Coach Han Sang-min, Coach Lee Kwang-jae, and the players all became ‘ONE TEAM’. But the end was disappointing. I didn’t think about anything else (laughs). DB was similar to my thoughts. They treated me well,” he added, explaining why he stayed with DB.
Height core Kim Jong-kyu and Kang Sang-jae will be together once again, and one-two punch Lee Sun Albano (185 cm, G) will also accompany DB. If Dedrick Lawson (202 cm, F), the No. 1 option foreign player, re-signs with DB, DB can challenge for another title.
“Even though (Choi) Seung-wook left, there is a possibility of signing an outside free agent. And if Lawson comes, we have all the conditions to challenge for the title. We can have more power than that. Because a year of time and experience can upgrade our strength. So we’ll be stronger,” he said, optimistic about DB’s strength.
However, “I thought, ‘If we played with the same mindset as in the regular season…’. Just because it’s the playoffs, I think we tried to do better than in the regular season. I felt like I put too much effort into it,” recognizing the difference between the playoffs and the regular season.
He concluded by saying, “We finished the contract well. Now I have to heal the areas that weren’t good and work hard on my rehabilitation. And for the green star, I will do my best,” he concluded. He was sincere when he used the words ‘normal’ and ‘championship’.
