Kim Tae-sul (born August 13, 1984) is a South Korean retired basketball player. During his fourteen-year professional career, Kim played for five different teams, the longest stint being at

Anyang KGC The Anyang Korea Ginseng Corporation ( ko, 안양 KGC인삼공사), or Anyang KGC, is a professional basketball club in the Korean Basketball League, based at Anyang Arena in the city of Anyang. The club has won three KBL championship titles, in ...

where he won the KBL Championship. He was also a member of the South Korea national team and participated in the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship, 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup and two

Asian Games The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a continental multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation (AGF) from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until t ...

Early life and college years

A native of

Busan Busan (), officially known as is South Korea's most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.4 million inhabitants. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economic, cultural and educational center of southeastern South Korea, w ...

, Kim attended Donga High School. He was one of the stand-outs at his high school and was recruited by

Yonsei University Yonsei University (; ) is a private research university in Seoul, South Korea. As a member of the " SKY" universities, Yonsei University is deemed one of the three most prestigious institutions in the country. It is particularly respected in th ...

, where he would be joined by his future

teammate and best friend

Yang Hee-jong Yang Hee-jong (born 11 May 1984) is a South Korean professional basketball player. He plays for the Anyang KGC of the Korean Basketball League and the South Korean national team. Early life Yang is a native of Suwon and had been a star taekw ...

. The Yonsei team dominated collegiate competitions after a period of stagnation. In the 2005

MBC Cup The MBC Cup (Korean: MBC배) is an annual competition organized by the Korea University Basketball Federation (Korean: 한국대학농구연맹) and sponsored by broadcaster Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC). It is one of the oldest basketball ...

, Kim scored 20 points during the final against

Chung-Ang University Chung-Ang University (CAU; ) is a private research university in Seoul, South Korea. It is widely regarded as one of the best universities in South Korea. The university operates two campuses: main campus located in Dongjak District, Seoul, and ...

as Yonsei won the competition for a fourth consecutive time.

Professional career

Seoul SK Knights (2007–2009)

Kim was drafted first overall in the 2007 KBL rookie draft by

Seoul SK Knights The Seoul SK Knights ( ko, 서울 SK 나이츠) is a professional basketball club in the Korean Basketball League. The club was originally founded by Jinro Group in 1997 as Cheongju Jinro McCass. Before the official launch of the basketball clu ...

. He made an immediate impact with double-digit numbers in assists during his first two games and ranked second in assists, the highest ranked rookie player that season. The lack of point guards able to compete with Kim Seung-hyun statistically led the media to dub the younger Kim as "Magic Kid" and he won the KBL Rookie of the Year and named into the

KBL Best 5 The KBL Best 5 (Korean: 베스트 5) an annual honor bestowed on the best players in the Korean Basketball League following every season. The honor is analogous to the "All-NBA Team" in the NBA or "Team of the Year" in association football. Voting ...

Anyang (2009–2014)

In a surprise move, Seoul SK Knights decided to trade him and another player to Anyang KT&G Kites for former MVP

Joo Hee-jung Joo Hee-jung (born February 4, 1977) is a South Korean basketball coach and retired player. His playing career spanned twenty years with four different teams in the Korean Basketball League. Despite not being a highly-touted prospect in high sc ...

at the end of the 2008–09 season. He immediately enlisted for

mandatory military service Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it continues in some countries to the present day un ...

, serving as a public service worker. It was not until the 2011–12 season that he was able to play for his new team. At that time, his teammates included the recently-

discharged Discharge may refer to Expel or let go * Discharge, the act of firing a gun * Discharge, or termination of employment, the end of an employee's duration with an employer * Military discharge, the release of a member of the armed forces from serv ...

and newcomers

Oh Se-keun Oh Se-keun (born 20 May 1987) is a South Korean professional basketball player who plays for Anyang KGC in the Korean Basketball League. Once a mainstay of the South Korean national team, he was a member of the gold medal-winning team at the ...

Park Chan-hee Park Chan-hee (Hangul: 박찬희, Hanja: 朴贊希; born 23 March 1957) is a retired South Korean boxer. As a professional he held the WBC and lineal titles in the flyweight division. As an amateur he won a gold medal at the 1974 Asian Games ...

and

Lee Jung-hyun Lee Jung-hyun (born February 7, 1980), also known by her occasional stage name Ava, is a South Korean pop singer and actress. She was first recognized for her acting abilities with award-winning role in her first film and has been solidified as ...

. The young team managed to reach the final of the Championship playoffs and defeat regular season champions

Wonju Dongbu Promy The Wonju DB Promy is a professional basketball club in the Korean Basketball League (KBL), located in the city of Wonju. From its founding in 1996, the team has always been based in its home province of Gangwon. It has the rare distinction of be ...

. During his last season with Anyang, he led the league in assists for the first time.

Jeonju KCC Egis (2014–2016)

With his contract up at Anyang, Kim joined

Jeonju KCC Egis The Jeonju KCC Egis is a professional basketball club in the Korean Basketball League. Current roster Enlisted players Honours Domestic Korean Basketball League *KBL Championship :: Winners (5): 1997–98, 1998– ...

. His signing was meant to be part of a major squad rebuilding project by coach

Hur Jae Hur Jae (born September 28, 1965) is a South Korean retired basketball coach and former player. His playing and coaching career combined spanned over three decades, beginning during the semi-professional era and coinciding with the establishmen ...

but did not play for his new team for the first round of the season due to his participation in both the 2014 FIBA World Cup and

. He went through a major slump that season as KCC finished ninth, the second last position. Kim managed to return to form the following season, especially after establishing a tandem with foreign recruits

Andre Emmett Andre Emmett (August 27, 1982 – September 23, 2019) was an American professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Texas Tech Red Raiders, and was named a consensus All-American as a senior in 2004. He had brief stints in ...

and Herbert Hill. KCC won the regular season title and reached the final of the Championship playoffs.

Final years (2016–2021)

Kim moved to

Seoul Samsung Thunders Seoul Samsung Thunders ( ko, 서울 삼성 썬더스) is a professional basketball team, competing in the Korean Basketball League. Ever since the club was founded in 1978, they have been associated with Samsung Electronics. Initially based in ...

, attracted by the prospect of playing under the legendary Lee Sang-min. Although no longer an automatic starter due to his age and physical condition, his experience was highly valued and he served as a mentor to the younger guards in the team. The lack of experienced guards and with

nearing retirement, Kim saw much more playing time and won Round MVP of the first round. At the end of the 2018–19 season, he signed a one-year contract with

Wonju DB Promy The Wonju DB Promy is a professional basketball club in the Korean Basketball League (KBL), located in the city of Wonju. From its founding in 1996, the team has always been based in its home province of Gangwon. It has the rare distinction of be ...

and was reunited with his former Anyang head coach Lee Sang-beom. He stayed for another season before announcing his retirement on 13 May 2021.

Post-retirement activities

Kim opted not to go into coaching like many of his retired peers had done. He made guest appearances on several variety programs and started a

Naver Naver (Hangul: 네이버) is a South Korean online platform operated by the Naver Corporation. It was launched in 1999 as the first web portal in South Korea to develop and use its own search engine. It was also the world's first operator to in ...

blog, in which he posts about recent developments in both college basketball and the KBL. In June 2022, he was a guest commentator for

tvN TVN may refer to: * TVN (Australian TV channel), a former horse racing channel * Televisión Nacional de Chile, a public broadcaster * TVN (Indonesia), a former television station; predecessor of Rajawali Televisi * TVN (Norway), or TVNorge, a comm ...

's coverage of South Korea's friendly games against the Philippines. He was then hired by

SPOTV SPOTV is a South Korean pay television network, which features sports programming and some sports-related talk shows. Founded in 2010, the network is the fourth non-'free-to-air' broadcaster in South Korea alongside KBS N Sports, MBC Sports+ a ...

to cover KBL games for the 2022–23 season. In September 2021, Kim signed with General Entertainment.

References

External links

Profile
at KBL.or.kr
FIBA records and statistics
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kim, Tae-sul 1984 births Living people Anyang KGC players Basketball players at the 2006 Asian Games Basketball players at the 2014 Asian Games Point guards Jeonju KCC Egis players Korean Basketball League players Seoul SK Knights players South Korean men's basketball players Yonsei University alumni Asian Games medalists in basketball Asian Games gold medalists for South Korea Medalists at the 2014 Asian Games Shooting guards 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup players Sportspeople from Busan South Korean basketball commentators