Considering that he started playing basketball relatively late, for Kwak Dong-ki (28, 193cm), a professional player himself achieved his goal. It is regrettable, but Kwak Dong-ki decided to retire, saying, “I thought I should look for another path when I was young even a year old.”
Kwak Dong-ki decided to retire after consulting with Busan KCC. Kwak had one year left before his contract expired, but he first announced his intention to retire to the club during the remuneration negotiation process. In response, KCC announced Kwak Dong-ki as a retired player along with Yoo Byung-hoon.
Kwak Dong-ki, who finished his military service as an active player, was discharged from the military in February. He was not registered as a player, so he could not play his return match in the 2023-2024 season. Eventually, a home game against Anyang KGC (currently Jeong Kwan-jang) on March 27, 2022, before joining the military, became Kwak’s last active game.
Kwak Dong-ki said, “I had a lot of thoughts while serving in the military. I have one year left on my contract, but I decided to retire because I thought I should look for a different path when I was young. I also want to do something related to basketball, but I haven’t decided on it in detail yet. I want to study first.”
Do you have any regrets that you didn’t realize that it was your last game? Kwak Dong-ki said, “If you don’t have any regrets, it would be a lie. It’s too bad. I wanted to play a few more games, but I am still young. I wanted to come out a year earlier and learn many things. He also said that his team supports him.”
Kwak Dong-ki was a student who enjoyed basketball as a hobby when he was at Anhwa Middle School. He won the championship at a club competition as a city representative and led his team to victory at a national championship that followed, and was offered an official basketball player by an official. “I started playing basketball when I moved from the 9th grade to the 1st grade in high school. I agonized over the two sports as I was preparing for rowing, and chose basketball with more memories.” Kwak Dong-ki recalled.
Although he started at a late age, Kwak Dong-ki was selected by KCC as the 13th overall pick in the 2019 KBL Rookie Draft through Samil High School and Sangmyung University. He spent most of his time in the D League, playing an average of 9 minutes and 48 seconds in five games in the first team, but becoming a professional player itself was a miracle for Kwak Dong-ki. 슬롯사이트 순위
Kwak Dong-ki said, “As I started playing basketball later than others, I was lagging behind in training alone. I was anxious and worried a lot, but I got to become a professional through hard work. I had achieved my goal already. As I tried to overcome my shortcomings, my personality changed. I played basketball for a short time, but basketball is like a friend of mine. But he was a strict friend.”
He will also say goodbye to his “real friend” Song Kyo-chang, who played with KCC. They were born in 1996 and in the same age group as Samil High School. “I was very close with Song. He took good care of me in the professional league, and I even told him about my concerns related to basketball,” Kwak said. “Gyo-chang was disappointed, but he encouraged me to do what I want to do. Kyo-chang is a really good friend. I hope he will continue to play without getting hurt and win the playoff MVP. I will always cheer for him.”
