Heo Ung (30, 1m85cm), a professional basketball player at Jeonju KCC, is a “star among stars.” He won 142,475 votes (a total of 237,716 votes), which is the second highest in the 2022-23 professional basketball All-Star fan vote, and is the fourth consecutive All-Star fan vote for two consecutive years following the last season when he was a member of Wonju DB. climbed on top Last season, he set a new record (163,850 votes) in All-Star Game history.
Heo Woong, who met with Ilgan Sports at the KCC training ground in Yongin, Gyeonggi-do on the 9th, said, “The home stadium, Jeonju Indoor Gymnasium (capacity of 4,000 people) is small. If there are a lot of spectators, it feels visually full. Thanks to that, I get a lot of strength when I play.” I think fans like it because it created a good image.”
How popular is Heo Woong? A DB official said, “There were so many gifts to Heo Woong. They also sent expensive electronic devices. He feels like an idol.” A KCC official also hinted, “Heo Woong’s production speed of uniforms and related goods cannot catch up with popularity.” Regarding this, Heo Woong said, “I am happy and grateful when I see a lot of my uniform at the stadium. It motivates me to work harder,” he laughed.
Heo Woong is interested in the revival of professional basketball, which has recently been stagnant. This is because his father, Heo Jae, who was called the ‘Basketball President’, still vividly remembers experiencing the popularity of basketball when he was a player. Recently, when the animated basketball movie ‘The First Slam Dunk’, which returned to the screen after 26 years after the serialization ended in 1996, became a hot topic, it reminded me of my determination to revive the popularity of professional basketball.
Heo Woong said, “During my school days, I enjoyed reading the comic book ‘Slam Dunk’. The character that was the same as my position was Jeong Dae-man, but I liked the main character Kang Baek-ho the most.” If fans come to the stadium with more interest in basketball, wouldn’t it be possible to play basketball happily?”
At the All-Star Game held last season at the Daegu Gymnasium, Heo Woong also danced 2PM’s “My House” and Suwoopa (Street Woman Fighter) popular song “Hey Mama” together. At the time, Heo Woong was exhausted from digesting games and events. After the game, he said, “I practiced dancing for a long time the day before the game. I hope that KBL will adjust the schedule in the future. Hard. He almost fell asleep while playing in the third quarter.” 토토
The fever for the All-Star Game, which will be held on the 15th at 2:00 PM at the KT Sonicboom Arena in Suwon, is heating up. Ticket sales for the All-Star Game sold out within 3 minutes of starting. As the festival is held once a year, an All-Star Game event is also prepared. An official from the Korea Professional Basketball League (KBL) said, “We plan to gather the top 10 fans voted for and publicize them on the streets in Suwon the day before the All-Star Game and practice the dance to be shown on the day.”
During the preparation process for the event, Heo Woong said that KBL’s communication method was disappointing. “I always receive news unexpectedly,” he said. “It’s a problem that has been going on for a long time,” he said. “Even though Lee Dae-seong (Daegu Korea Gas Corporation) and I were filming a video related to the All-Star Game, (Lee Dae-sung) made us film for more than 3 hours even the day before the game. Isn’t it the first thing to adjust the condition for the game?”
Heo Woong’s argument is that KBL lacks detailed attention and care for its players. He said, “It’s the same when I shoot the photo shoot for the All-Star Game uniform. My match jersey size is XL. But he brought the All-Star Game uniform in 3XL. KBL’s main promotional video and photos are all sent out, but I felt that there was a lack of detailed consideration. Wasn’t it possible to do well with a little care?”
Heo Woong, who recently suffered a cold and burnout syndrome due to a tight schedule, said, “It is true that the decline in popularity of professional basketball is related to the limitations (performance) of the players,” but “KBL is ‘packaging (image making) through appearances in entertainment programs and marketing. ) is also important. The more responsibility and interest you have, the more you have no choice but to put in more effort. The skills of the players will increase, and the popularity of basketball will also increase.”