Busan KTF Magic Wings

Suwon KT Sonicboom () is a professional basketball club based in Suwon, South Korea which plays in the Korean Basketball League. Their home games are played at the Suwon KT Sonicboom Arena. Founded in 1997, the team was initially based in Gwangju and was later relocated to Yeosu, Busan and Suwon, respectively.

History

Foundation and Gwangju era

With the foundation of the professional Korean Basketball League in 1997, Gwangju Nasan Flamans was the ninth team founded as an expansion franchise and was then sponsored by clothing manufacturer Nasan Group. The company bought over the Industrial Bank of Korea's basketball team prior to the start of the newly-founded professional league. While some players from the former IBK team remained, the new team did not inherit its legacy and history with the takeover. The IBK basketball team had been founded in 1962 and was one of the oldest teams in domestic basketball.

The new team participated in the inaugural KBL season, which began in February 1997. As a relatively new franchise sponsored by a smaller corporate company, the Nasan Flamans did not have star players of that era, nor did they have the financial resources to lure the biggest names like some of their counterparts. It was one of the few franchises whose players were not selected for the 1998 Asian Games, although one of the better-known players from that era was future South Korea national team coach Kim Sang-shik, the free throw percentage leader for the 1997–98 season. Due to financial constraints, the team had to split its home ground between Yeomju Gymnasium in Gwangju and the cheaper Wollmyeong Gymnasium in Gunsan. Despite the challenges, the team managed to reach the play-offs.

The Nasan Group faced bankruptcy due to the 1997 Asian financial crisis, which had hit South Korea hard. Instead of dissolving the team, Nasan Group eventually sold it to Goldbank for 6.5 billion won after the 1998–99 season. The team was renamed Goldbank Clickers. It began investing in bigger names, including Yonsei University star and 1998 Asian Games silver medalist Cho Sang-hyun and rookie forward Hyun Joo-yup. However, Goldbank's instability at corporate level meant that the team was often neglected to the point where they had no permanent training facility and had to train and practice at municipal or university-owned gymnasiums and players' accommodations were far away from their home ground.

Yeosu era (2000–2003)

The Goldbank Clickers relocated to Yeosu ahead of the 2000–01 season. It again changed sponsors to Korea Tender but its financial situation was so unstable that the KBL had to manage the team on Korea Tender's behalf.

During the 2002–03 season, the team only had an acting coach, Lee Sang-yoon, in its coaching staff and a roster of relatively unknown players. Under Lee, the players' highly-organized play and stamina gained them a reputation as the underdogs to beat that season. The unfancied team made the play-offs, notably beating Seoul Samsung Thunders before losing to Daegu Tongyang Orions in the semifinals.

Busan era (2003–2021)

The team moved to Busan in 2003 and became the new tenant of Sajik Arena

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