Changwon Gymnasium on April 4. All around the stadium, including the press box and broadcast seats, were gifts from fans congratulating Yang Hong-seok (26, 195cm) on the sixth anniversary of his debut. In addition to expressing his gratitude, Yang Hong-seok also had some special words of praise for the up-and-coming talent.
Yang Hong-seok participated in the 2017 rookie draft as a freshman at Chung-Ang University and was selected by Suwon KT (then Busan KT) with the second overall pick. KT traded the first and second picks to Changwon LG to acquire Doksik, Heo Hoon, and Yang Hong-seok, laying the foundation for their rebuild.
After six seasons with KT, Yang Hong-seok became a free agent for the first time in his career, signing a five-year, 750 million won contract with LG in the offseason. It was a position of need for LG, and at just 26 years old, they hit the jackpot.
Yang made his KBL debut on November 7, 2017. The home game against Seoul SK on Nov. 4 marked the sixth anniversary of his debut, and fans celebrated the “Superstar” (Yang’s nickname during his KT days) by throwing rice cakes at officials.
Yang Hong-seok said, “They gave me rice cakes and cakes. I’m grateful to the fans for their support over the past six years, and I have a lot more time left to play than I have played so far. I will do my best to show them a great performance until the end of my career,” he said.
Coincidentally, the game was played on the sixth anniversary of his debut, and it was also against SK. Yang came off the bench in his debut game, scoring one point and grabbing one rebound in nine minutes and five seconds. When asked about his debut game, he said, “I don’t really remember much. I just remember that I was out of breath. I was that nervous and excited,” he laughed.
“That’s why when I see (Yoo) Ki-sang, I think he’s amazing. He’s showing good form for a rookie. He seems to be better at defense than me (laughs). It’s amazing. He’s like a godsend for our team.” 토토사이트
The third overall pick in the 2023 draft at LG, Yoo averaged 4.6 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.4 steals in 13.3 minutes in five games. He was expected to be a specialized shooter, but he is also gaining experience by playing shooter-only defense.
“I think Ki-sang is the best among the rookies in terms of offense and defense,” said Yang Hong-seok. “He defends shooters like (former) Sung-hyun and (former) Il-young. In the game against SK, we were able to win by a big margin thanks to Ki-sang.” When asked to recap his debut game, which was played on the sixth anniversary of his debut, ‘Superstar’ Yang Hong-seok commented.