Some basketball salaries don’t equal players’ performances
Korean Basketball League centers Seo Jang-hoon of the Samsung Thunders and Kim Joo-sung of the Dongbu Promy are the highest-paid players in the league this season, at 470 million won ($500,000). These two are widely regarded as the faces of Korean basketball, and their teams pay them accordingly.But sometimes high salaries don’t go with high performances. The JoongAng Ilbo glanced through the salaries of players in the league this season, and looked into which teams spent their money well and which teams overpaid.
Kang Dae-hyup has been one of the best bargains in the league this year. The seven-year veteran has settled with the Promy after toiling as a backup guard on six other teams. His salary this season is 80 million won, 10 million less than the first pick overall from last year’s draft, Jeon Jeong-gyu of the Etland Black Slamer.
Until this season, Kang had a career average of 3.8 points per game, and only in one season did he average more than 10 minutes per game on the court. But starter Yang Kyung-min missed the early part of the season after being suspended for gambling on his team’s games. When he returned, Yang injured his thigh in the first game after only eight minutes.
Kang has been able to take advantage of the opening. He is averaging a career-high 11 points a game, and through Monday, was second in the league in three-point field goal percentage. Also, he is playing more than 30 minutes a game.
The SK Knights forward Bang Sung-yoon, at 160 million won this season, also comes as a relative bargain for the Seoul-based team. The second-year player is the only Korean player averaging more than 20 points a game: his 21.2 average puts him at seventh in the league. Bang has also raised his assist and rebound totals from last season.
On the other side of the ledger is Kang’s teammate Yang. Along with Kim, the center, Yang, was to be the face of the franchise this season. A sharp shooter and tenacious defender, Yang is receiving 300 million won this season.
But last summer, he was fined by a regional court for betting on his team’s playoff games, and received a 36-game suspension, later reduced to 21 games. But the thigh injury means he might not play again this season. His record for the year One game. 8 minutes, 33 seconds of playing time. Zero points.
In return for his own 300 million won annual salary, Hwang Sung-in, point guard for the Black Slamer, is giving the team his worst statistical season. His points per game average of 5.9 is his lowest ever, and his 4.3 assists per game is the second-lowest of his six-year career.
KCC Egis, the last place squad, signed forward Shin Dong-han to a lucrative free agent deal that doubled his annual salary to 140 million won. He has responded with a career high in points. Unfortunately for him, it’s only 4.1 points a game.
By Kang In-sik JoongAng Ilbo [jeeho@joongang.co.kr]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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