Sakers nab first KBL Championship title in 28 years with win over Knights

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Sakers nab first KBL Championship title in 28 years with win over Knights

Published: 18 May. 2025, 13:47 Updated: 18 May. 2025, 16:18

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

The Changwon LG Sakers celebrate winning the 2024-25 KBL Championship at Jamsil Students Gymnasium in southern Seoul on May 17. [NEWS1]

The Changwon LG Sakers clinched their first KBL Championship title in the club's 28-year history with a 62-58 victory over the Seoul SK Knights in the seventh game of the best-of-seven series at Jamsil Students Gymnasium in southern Seoul on Saturday.

The Sakers became the last KBL team to lift the trophy as the Changwon club was the only side without a championship title before Saturday's long-awaited win.

The Sakers were close to allowing a reverse sweep — losing four games of the series after winning the first three — for the first time in KBL history but defied the odds.

Veteran small forward Heo Il-young led the Sakers' attack in Saturday's contest, during which both teams appeared exhausted.

The Sakers defended Knights center Jameel Warney, only conceding two points from him in the first two quarters and ending the second quarter at 27-23.

With the third quarter ending at 41-38, Heo scored a 3-pointer to put the Changwon club up at 46-41.

Yang Jun-seok and Carl Tamayo also scored 3-pointers, before Heo came back with another 3-pointer to extend the lead at 55-45.

The Knights bounced back by scoring nine points and putting the score at 55-54.

Sakers center Assem Marei grabbed a crucial offensive rebound and scored after multiple missed shots from both teams, taking the score to 57-54 with 38.9 second remaining.

Sakers shooting guard Yoo Ki-sang hit two clutch free throws with 18.5 seconds remaining and threw two more free throws to seal the win. Warney's final 3-pointer attempt missed at the buzzer.

Heo was named the championship MVP with 32 out of 80 votes from reporters. He scored 14 points in Game 7, including two crucial 3-pointers in the final quarter.

Changwon LG Sakers small forward Heo Il-young celebrates after scoring a 3-pointer during the seventh KBL Championship game against the Seoul SK Knights at Jamsil Students Gymnasium in southern Seoul on May 17. [NEWS1]

Power forward Carl Tamayo also averaged 23 points from Game 1 to 3 of the series.

Heo, 39, also stands alone as the only player to have won KBL championships with three different teams — Goyang Orion Orions, now called Goyang Sono Skygunners, Knights and Sakers.

The Sakers' first championship trophy makes head coach Cho Dong-hyun the third figure in KBL history to win the title as a player, assistant coach and head coach after Kim Seung-gi and Chun Hee-chul.

Players from the LG Twins, the club’s affilliated baseball team, supported the basketball squad throughout the playoffs, often celebrating base hits with basketball shooting gestures.

The Sakers ended the 2024-25 season with the championship title and a runner-up finish in the regular campaign, while the Knights finished with the regular season title and a runner-up finish in the championship.

Both teams will be heading to the East Asia Super League — an international league in which multiple teams from across Asia compete annually — next season as one of the two championship finalists.

Only the KBL Championship winners and runners-up qualify for the EASL, while regular season winners cannot unless the regular season winners reach the championship.

The upcoming 2024-25 EASL would mark the first time the Sakers will compete in the league. The Knights, meanwhile, return to the league after finishing the first two editions as runners-up and missing the 2024-25 campaign,

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY PARK RIN [[email protected]]