Heo Hoon

Heo was drafted by Busan KT Sonicboom in the 2017 rookie draft as their first pick in the first round.[13][14] He made his debut in the Korean Basketball League on 7 November 2017 against Seoul SK Knights, with 15 points, 7 assists and 2 rebounds recorded in 23 minutes.[15] Although impressing in his debut, his rookie season was largely overshadowed by his team's losing streak during the first few rounds, a mid-season injury and his inconsistency in defense which led to him committing unnecessary fouls.

The 2018–19 season saw Heo gradually establish himself and his performances did not go unnoticed by the national team coach. There were initial concerns about his height – at 180 cm he is considered short for a guard even by KBL standards – but he made up for his lack of height with his instinctual and bold style of play.[16][6]

The 2019–20 season was Heo's break-out season, despite the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic during the last few rounds.[6] During the October game against Wonju DB Promy at home, he scored nine consecutive three-point shots, breaking former MVP Cho Sung-won's fifteen-year-old record for the most consecutive three-point shots in a single game; KT Sonicboom had been trailing the visitors before Heo's fourth quarter record-breaking feat brought the score up but still lost 83–82.[17][18][19] In February 2020 against Anyang KGC, he put up 24 points and 21 assists, becoming the first player in KBL history to score over 20 points and 20 assists in a single game.[20][21][22] Despite his performances and productive partnership with fellow 2017 draftee forward Yang Hong-seok, KT Sonicboom was only able to finish the season in sixth place, the final play-off spot. He was named into the KBL Best 5 for the first time and voted MVP for the 2019–20 season.[20][23] With this win, Heo and his father became the first father-son duo to win the MVP award since the establishment of the KBL; his father had previously won the season MVP award several times during the semi-professional pre-KBL era and a play-off MVP in the first season of the KBL.[24][25] Additionally, his nine consecutive three-pointers were voted "Play of the Season".[26]

Heo finished the 2020–21 season with an average of 15.63 points per game, surpassing his previous personal record, and led the league in assists for a second consecutive season.[27] Among domestic-born players, he was the top-scoring guard and ranked second overall only behind forward Song Kyo-chang of Jeonju KCC Egis, earning him a reputation as a "dual-threat" point guard equally proficient at scoring as well as providing assists.[28] In December 2020, he was nominated for and won the Male Basketball Player of the Year, voted for by league coaches and his KBL peers, at the annual Dong-a Sports Awards honoring domestic professional athletes across all disciplines.[16][29] Although he missed out on the season MVP to Song, he was named into the KBL Best 5 for the second consecutive season.[30] He was also named Player of the Year (KBL category) and voted into the "Best 5" of Rookie the Basket magazine's annual Players' Choice Awards.[31][32]

Heo ruptured his ankle ligaments during a pre-season practice game in September and sat out for the first several rounds of the 2021–22 season.[33] He returned for the November game against Changwon LG Sakers and contributed 20 points in a 89–80 win.[34] In the December game against the same team, with both teams tied at 73–73, he scored a buzzer beater with 2.2 seconds left in the fourth quarter to narrowly win the game. It was the first time in twelve years KT Sonicboom had recorded an eight-game winning streak, further surpassing last season's record of seven and securing their position at the top of the league table.[35]

Heo represented South Korea at the 2011 FIBA Asia Under-16 Championship and 2012 FIBA Under-17 World Championship, where he averaged 17.7 points, 2 rebounds and 2.9 assists.[36][37] Heo also participated at the 2013 FIBA Under-19 World Championship, where he averaged 12.8 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.2 assists.[38] He impressed in the group stage match against the Czech Republic team by scoring 39 points in a 96–95 overtime win, the South Koreans' first win of the tournament.[39]

Having been a regular in the youth national teams, Heo was first called-up to the senior national team in 2016 and impressed at the William Jones Cup.[40] He was recalled to the team as an injury replacement for the 2016 FIBA Asia Challenge.[8][41] Early on, during his father's tenure as the national team coach, his selection was constantly a source of criticism and accusations of favouritism, which came to a head after South Korea failed to defend their gold medal at the 2018 Asian Games. His and his older brother's selections were particularly criticized by the press and other league team coaches, resulting in the youngest Heo being left on the substitute's bench for the entire tournament. Both brothers were also excluded from the squad list for the next several games after the Asian Games.[42]

Heo was recalled to the national team by new coach Kim Sang-shik, following his good form in the KBL. He participated in the qualifiers for the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup hosted by China and was considered a contender for the final tournament squad. After a good showing at the 2019 William Jones Cup, he made the final squad and was the youngest player selected.[43][44] At the final tournament, he averaged 4.2 points, 0.4 rebounds and 0.8 assist as he was mostly a substitute player.[1][45] Having averaged around 5 minutes per game, he played 25 minutes against the Ivory Coast due to injuries plaguing the team. He notably scored 16 points off the bench in a 80–71 win, South Korea's first win at the FIBA World Cup in 25 years.[46][47]

Heo has participated in the 2022 FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers, but mostly as a reserve due to league commitments and quarantine requirements that discouraged his club from releasing him to the national team more frequently than usual.[48][49][50]