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Sonicboom fans' spinning wheels give team edge in KBL's close games

Published: 05 Nov. 2025, 16:01 Updated: 05 Nov. 2025, 16:32

Suwon KT Sonicboom fans distract Busan KCC players at the free-throw line with spinning wheels at Suwon KT Sonicboom Arena in Suwon, Gyeonggi on Oct. 4. [KBL]

With spinning wheels in hands, Suwon KT Sonicboom fans are helping turn home games into a psychological battleground — and it’s working in favor of the team.

Sonicboom is off to a strong start in the 2025-26 KBL season, tied for third place on the 10-team table. The numbers at home are even better: five wins in seven games at Suwon KT Sonicboom Arena. That home-court advantage may owe as much to the crowd’s antics as the team’s play.

More than 100 Sonicboom fans behind the backboard spin colorful wheels in unison the moment an opposing player steps to the free-throw line. Directly in the shooter’s field of vision, the wheels create a disorienting, swirling backdrop. Nearby, cheerleaders wave long balloons shaped like rice cakes in synchronized motion.

“Even from the broadcast booth, it’s confusing,” commentator and former player Kim Do-soo said about the visual distraction.

While some players claim to block it out by locking their gaze on the rim, the results tell a different story.

Ulsan Hyundai Mobis Phoebus's Miguel Oczon and Ham Ji-hoon on Oct. 7 missed crucial free throws in the final seconds of a 74-73 loss to Sonicboom.

Daegu Kogas Pegasus players also missed all four of their free throws during an away game in Suwon and fell 68-65.

Data from the first nine games of the season show that visiting teams in Suwon shot a league-low 68.9 percent from the free throw line. During the first four games, second-half free-throw accuracy for visiting teams dropped to just 42.3 percent.

Sonicboom small forward Moon Jeong-hyeon credited the fans for their part in Sonicboom’s early home success.

Suwon KT Sonicboom celebrate after winning a KBL game against the Seoul Samsung Thunders at Suwon KT Sonicboom Arena in Suwon, Gyeonggi on Oct. 9. [YONHAP]

“I think we’re benefiting from the low free-throw percentage of our opponents, thanks to the fans spinning the wheels,” he said earlier this season.

To keep the crowd engaged, Sonicboom hands out roughly 100 wheels before each game. When an opposing player misses a free throw, the Suwon team gives away snacks. If the first free throw of the second half is missed, a raffle determines which fan wins a pair of autographed basketball shoes.

Sonicboom also experimented with a different visual distraction last season, placing an inflatable Hulk-themed figure of center Ha Yoon-gi behind the basket.

While most sports don’t allow fans to influence the action, free-throw distractions have become a staple of basketball culture. In the United States, they’ve taken on a theatrical dimension.

In the 2010s, opposing fans waved life-size cutouts of actress Eva Longoria — ex-wife of San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker — whenever Parker stepped to the free-throw line during NBA games.

In 2016, Olympic swimming legend Michael Phelps showed up at an NCAA basketball game wearing only a swimsuit, relentlessly trying to distract Oregon State University players at the free-throw line in support of Arizona State University, where his longtime coach Bob Bowman was on staff.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY PARK RIN [[email protected]]