Anyang KGC forward Yang Hee-jong (39) announced his retirement at the end of the 2022-2023 season. After last season, he obtained qualification as a free agent (FA) and signed a three-year contract with KGC for a total fee of 220 million won, making a bold decision even though he was guaranteed active service until the 2024-2025 season. The KGC club also accepted his will, and on March 26, his retirement ceremony will be held in the final home game of the regular league of ‘2022-2023 SKT Eidot Pro Basketball’ against Wonju DB, which will be held at Anyang Gymnasium.

Yang Hee-jong, who graduated from Samil Commercial High School and Yonsei University, joined KT&G, the predecessor of KGC, in 2007 and is a ‘one-club man’ who has not left Anyang for 17 years. He led the team to win three championship matches and one regular league championship, and helped the men’s basketball team win the gold medal at the 2014 Incheon Asian Games. This career alone is insufficient to explain his value.먹튀검증

Yang Hee-jong’s KBL career performance is 6 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists, playing an average of 24 minutes and 16 seconds in 610 games. He looks far from gaudy. However, he endured for a long time with the best defense in the league, blocking the opponent’s ace and minimizing runs. He did not hesitate to do dirty work that was not revealed by his record, and he was respected by his colleagues as the best leader by raising the morale of the team with his unique grit. After the 2013-2014 season, when he was the first free agent in his life, he won a 5-year long-term contract for a total fee of 600 million won, thanks to this intangible value recognized.

Efforts to compensate for weaknesses were not neglected. After serving in the Armed Forces Sports Unit (Sangmu), he devoted himself to shooting training and equipped with offensive options. At the end of the 2010-2011 season right after his discharge, head coach Lee Sang-beom, who was the head coach at the time, pushed Yang Hee-jong to actively shoot in the real game when the team was eliminated from the playoff competition. Thanks to that, in the 6th game of the 2011-2012 season championship match, where he defeated Wonju Dongbu (now DB) and lifted the championship trophy, he decorated a page in his career with a middle shot in the final.

During the last three seasons, the playing time per game has been reduced to less than 20 minutes, but he has not neglected his original role. This season, he played an average of 11 minutes and 1 second, adding great strength to the defense, and taking the lead in KGC’s run (33 wins and 12 losses) by instilling confidence in juniors on the bench. KGC coach Kim Sang-sik also did not hide his gratitude for Yang Hee-jong’s leadership, who always cares about the players.

Yang Hee-jong said, “Anyang is my life,” and looked back, saying, “I learned life by experiencing happiness, joy, frustration, and sadness with the team during my 17-year career as a player.” I made up my mind.