Choi Jun-yong (Korean: 최준용; born April 4, 1994) is a South Korean basketball player for Busan KCC Egis and the South Korean national team.[1] He has previously also played for the Seoul SK Knights.
 | |
| No. 2 – Busan KCC Egis | |
|---|---|
| Position | Forward |
| League | KBL |
| Personal information | |
| Born | April 4, 1994 Daegu, South Korea |
| Nationality | South Korean |
| Listed height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Kyungbock High School |
| College | Yonsei University |
| KBL draft | 2016: 1st round, 2nd overall pick |
| Playing career | 2016–present |
| Career history | |
| 2016–2023 | Seoul SK Knights |
| 2023–present | Busan KCC Egis |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 최준용 |
|---|---|
| Hanja | 崔俊龍 |
| Revised Romanization | Choi Jun-yong |
| McCune–Reischauer | Ch'oe Chunyong |
Career
editHigh school and college career
editChoi attended Kyungbock High School and was classmates with Lee Jong-hyun.[2] While at Kyungbock, he, Lee and their senior Moon Seong-gon, were dubbed the "Kyungbock Trio" by rival high school teams for their well-rounded offensive capabilities.[3] Moon and Lee went on to Korea University while Choi was recruited by Yonsei University.
During his senior year, Choi captained Yonsei to a clean sweep of the U-League regular season title and championship and the MBC Cup, the first time since 2005 Yonsei has won it.[4][5] He was also named MVP of the MBC Cup tournament. At that time his teammates included future MVP Heo Hoon and future KBL Rookie of the Year Ahn Young-joon. He declared eligibility for the 2016 KBL draft.
Professional
editChoi was considered one of the "big 3", along with Lee and Kang Sang-jae, of the 2016 KBL rookie draft and strong contenders for the first pick of the first round.[6][7] He was drafted by Seoul SK Knights as the second pick.
After an uneventful rookie season, Choi began to grow into his role during the 2017-18 season and played a bigger role in Seoul SK Knights' second-place finish in the regular season and KBL Championship win. He averaged 9.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists.[8] After a 2018-19 season mostly plagued by injury, he returned to the side but found himself having to battle with veteran Kim Sun-hyung for a spot in the starting 5.
On December 8, 2020, it was reported that Choi had been suspended for three games by his team after he accidentally leaked a nude photograph of his teammate on his social media. He and his team immediately posted an apology, explaining that the teammate involved was also a close friend and had accepted the apology and that Choi would serve the suspension with immediate effect.[9] The KBL further extended the suspension to five games and fined him 3 million won.[10]
In the 2021–22 season, Choi won the KBL Most Valuable Player Award and won his second KBL championship.[11]
National team
editHe participated at the 2017 FIBA Asia Cup.[12]
References
edit- ^ FIBA profile
- ^ "[TONG] "우린 대학농구 절친이자 라이벌" 고대 이종현, 연대 최준용". JoongAng Ilbo (in Korean). 20 January 2016.
- ^ "[BK Star Search] 경복고등학교 문성곤" (in Korean). BasketKorea.com. 26 May 2011.
- ^ "203cm 이종현 어디로...유재학에게 물어봐". JoongAng Ilbo (in Korean). 5 October 2016.
- ^ "-MBC배농구- 연세대, 단국대 꺾고 11년만에 우승". Yonhap News Agency (in Korean). 4 March 2016.
- ^ "KBL 신인 드래프트...'빅3' 이종현·최준용·강상재 "내가 최고 되겠다"". Seoul Shinmun (in Korean). 18 October 2016.
- ^ "[KBL 신인드래프트] 황금 세대 '빅3'가 뜬다". Hankook Ilbo (in Korean). 18 October 2016.
- ^ "[KBL 팀별 MVP] 단점 개선하고, SK의 중심으로 성장하는 최준용" (in Korean). BasketKorea.com. 31 March 2020.
- ^ "SK 최준용까지 SNS 부적절 사진 노출 논란... 3경기 출장정지 징계". Hankook Ilbo (in Korean). 8 December 2020.
- ^ "KBL, 부적절 사진 SNS 노출한 SK 최준용에 5경기 출전정지 징계". Yonhap News Agency (in Korean). 9 December 2020.
- ^ "KBL 국내 선수 MVP는 최준용 [MK포토]". 매일경제 (in Korean). 2022-04-06. Retrieved 2022-06-13.
- ^ 2017 FIBA Asia Cup profile
External links
edit- Career Statistics from the Korean Basketball League website (in Korean)