Yang Dong-geun (basketball)

Yang Dong-geun (born September 14, 1981) is a retired South Korean basketball player for Ulsan Mobis Phoebus and the Korean national team, where he participated at the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup.[1] During his sixteen-year career, he won the KBL Rookie of the Year and was named Most Valuable Player (MVP) in KBL four times.[2] He spent his entire playing career with Ulsan Mobis Phoebus, having been at the forefront of Ulsan's dominance in the league from the early 2000's.[3] Since retiring after the 2019-20 season, he has returned to the team as a coach.

Yang Dong-geun
No. 6 – Ulsan Mobis Phoebus
PositionGuard
LeagueKorean Basketball League
Personal information
Born (1981-09-14) September 14, 1981
Seoul, South Korea
NationalitySouth Korean
Listed height5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Career information
High schoolYongsan High School
CollegeHanyang University
Playing career2004–2020
Coaching career2021–present
Career history
2004–2020Ulsan Mobis Phoebus
2007–2009→ Sangmu (loan)
Career highlights and awards
  • KBL Championship (2007, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2019)
  • KBL Rookie of the Year (2005)
  • KBL Most Valuable Player Award (2006, 2007, 2015, 2016)
  • KBL Defensive Player of the Year (2013, 2015)
Medals
Representing  South Korea
Men's Basketball
Asian Games
2010 Guangzhou Team
2014 Incheon Team
FIBA Asia Championship
2007 Japan Team
2011 China Team
2013 Philippines Team

Early life

Yang enjoyed playing basketball since his elementary school days. As he had been short compared to his peers, he never considered going professional until he had a late growth spurt and started playing college basketball. He attended Yongsan High School, which is known as a high school basketball powerhouse, but was not considered a highly-rated prospect at that time and thus overlooked by the "big three" universities in collegiate basketball: Yonsei University, Korea University and Chung-Ang University.[3][4]

Career

College basketball

Yang was recruited by Hanyang University.[3][5] He chose not to declare eligibility early for the KBL draft and stayed until his senior year. During his senior year, he was thrust into the spotlight for leading Hanyang to a 96-91 upset against a Yonsei team that had future KBL stars Ha Seung-jin and Yang Hee-jong.[6]

Professional

During the 2004 KBL rookie draft, Yang made history by becoming the first player not from a "big three" college basketball program to be drafted first in the first round.[7][8] At that time Jeonju KCC Egis had the first overall pick but traded it with Ulsan Mobis Phoebus for two players.[9] There were initial doubts as he was considered short by KBL standards but he established himself as an integral member of the team due to his accurate shooting and passing. He averaged 11.5 points and 6.1 assists and was named KBL Rookie of the Year.[4][10]

In May 2007, weeks after his wedding, Yang enlisted for mandatory military service and was assigned to the Sangmu team after completing basic training.[11]

Personal life

Yang married his college sweetheart Kim Jung-mi in 2007 after a seven-year courtship.[12] They have a son and a daughter.[13]

Yang is an avid baseball fan and is best friends with Lee Bum-ho. He was at Lee's retirement game in 2019.[14]

References
  1. "Yang Dong-geun". fiba.com. Retrieved 30 August 2014.
  2. "2020-2021 현대모비스 프로농구 시상식 결과 안내" (in Korean). Korean Basketball League. 7 April 2021.
  3. "한팀서 17년, 우승 6번 '원클럽 맨'…"질수록 더 강해졌다"". JoongAng Ilbo (in Korean). 18 April 2020.
  4. "거참 신기하네, 양동근 선수는 지칠줄 모르네". The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). 13 October 2017.
  5. "[농구대잔치 고3 잔치] 한양대 입학예정 양동근 팀4강 수훈". The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). 25 January 2000.
  6. "연대, 39연승서 '스톱'… 한양대에 덜미". The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). 23 November 2003.
  7. "1m68 소년이 KBL 레전드가 되기까지, 양동근 농구 인생에 타협 없었다". The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). 1 April 2020.
  8. "한양대 양동근 1순위 '취직'". The Hankyoreh (in Korean). 4 February 2004.
  9. "프로농구 신인 최대어 양동근, 모비스에 둥지" (in Korean). KBS. 4 February 2004.
  10. "[프로농구]신기성 MVP…프로농구 신인왕엔 양동근". The Dong-a Ilbo (in Korean). 15 March 2015.
  11. "모비스, 상무 입대 '양동근 특별대우 '". The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). 2 May 2007.
  12. "양동근 '감동 프러포즈'...6일 결혼 김정미씨 공개". The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). 1 May 2007.
  13. "코트선 철인… 아들·딸엔 '순한 양' 양동근". Kyunghyang Shinmun (in Korean). 27 April 2015.
  14. "굿바이 이범호, 눈물의 은퇴식 "그동안 감사했다"". The Hankyoreh (in Korean). 13 July 2019.
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