It took 13 seasons to get back to the top. KCC started by visiting the late Honorary Chairman Jung Sang-young.

The Busan KCC coaching staff and players headed to the mausoleum of Honorary Chairman Jung Sang-young on the 8th. It was a step to dedicate the trophy of the 2023-2024 Jung Kwan-jang Professional Basketball Championship.

The youngest brother of the late Hyundai Group Chairman Emeritus Chung Ju-young, his love for basketball was well known. As a former KBL title sponsor, he supported major tournaments such as the Pro-Am Best of the Best and the 텍사스홀덤사이트 Asia-Pacific University Basketball Challenge. The company’s support for the KCC basketball team was also notable. KCC’s bold investment in the team over the years was largely due to the will of the late Chairman Emeritus Sang-young.

Despite the eagerly awaited return to the top, KCC has failed to win a championship since the 2010-2011 season. The team continued to invest heavily, but the 2015-2016 regular season championship followed by the championship game was the last regular season championship and championship game that the late Chairman Emeritus saw before his passing. The late Chairman passed away on January 30, 2021, at the age of 84.

KCC won the regular season title in the 2020-2021 season shortly after the passing of the late Honorary Chairman Jung Sang-young. They then entered the playoffs with the intention of bringing home the championship trophy, but were swept in the championship game by Anyang KGC (now Jung Kwan-jang). The 2023-2024 championship was their first in 13 seasons since the 2010-2011 season.

“It’s sad,” said Jeon, who finally dedicated the trophy to the team. “He loved basketball so much. He would have been so happy to see us win the championship…. It’s actually a heavy feeling to finally give him the championship he’s been waiting for so long. He was very worried about Korean basketball, and he wanted us to perform in front of a large crowd, and he personally told me about his plans to host an international tournament. Of course, I’m happy that we won the championship, but I have a lot of regrets that I couldn’t deliver it to him during his lifetime,” said Jeon Chang-jin.

After visiting the mausoleum of the late Chairman Emeritus Jung Sang-young, KCC’s next stop is Busan, their hometown. KCC will hold a fan meeting to commemorate the championship at Busan Sajik Gymnasium at 2 p.m. on May 15, and key players will attend. The number of attendees is unlimited, and details are being finalized. KCC plans to thank the Busan fans for their support, which averaged 18,856.5 fans per game in the two championship games.

Coach Jeon Chang-jin said, “The future is more important. KCC needs to do better so that the enthusiasm of the Busan fans doesn’t cool down. We have to put everything into the home game and repay them with a good performance. Other teams should also try harder to attract large crowds. That’s what’s good for Korean basketball. I would like to see KCC lead by example.”