Park Chan-hee (born April 17, 1987) is a South Korean

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player for

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 ...

and the South Korean national team.

Early life

Park grew up in

Yeosu Yeosu (; ''Yeosu-si''), historically also Yosu, and known to the Japanese as Reisui during the period when Korea was under Japanese rule, is a city located on the southern coast of the Korean Peninsula in South Jeolla Province, South Korea an ...

and moved to Seoul after his father got a job in Incheon. He first became interested in basketball as an elementary school student after seeing a game broadcast on television. In 2004 he first drew attention after leading

Kyungbock High School Kyungbock High School () is one of the oldest modern secondary school in South Korea. It is located in Jongno-gu, Seoul, near Gyeongbok Palace, after which it is named. It was established on April 18, 1921. The school's original name was the No. 2 ...

to win two high school tournaments.

College career

Despite receiving offers from

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 ...

and Korea University, Park committed to

Kyung Hee University Kyung Hee University (abbreviated to KHU) (Hangul: 경희대학교; Hanja: 慶熙大學校) is a private research university in South Korea with campuses in Seoul and Suwon. Founded in 1949, it is widely regarded as one of the best universities ...

. At that time, Kyung Hee, although well-known for its College of Physical Education, was not considered a major contender in college basketball. He decided on Kyung Hee as he would be guaranteed playing time as a freshman. However, he almost gave up the sport after going through a long slump in form during his sophomore year and then going through surgery on his toe during his junior year. During his senior year, Park was joined by high school seniors and Kyung Hee prospects

Kim Jong-kyu Kim Jong-kyu (born July 3, 1991) is a South Korean professional basketball player. He currently plays for Wonju DB Promy in the Korean Basketball League and the South Korean national team. Early life Kim was not initially interested in bask ...

and Kim Min-goo. They led Kyung Hee to the semi-finals of the National Basketball Festival, the main collegiate competition at that time, but were knocked out by a

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 ...

-inspired Yonsei team.

Professional career

Park was the first overall pick of the 2010 KBL rookie draft and was drafted by Anyang KT&G. It was only the second time in the history of the KBL rookie draft that the first overall pick was not from

, Korea University or

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 ...

, which are collectively known as the "big 3" of domestic college basketball. His rookie season did not begin smoothly as he struggled to adapt to the professional game and Anyang finished second-last in the league table. He averaged 12.0 points and played in 44 out of 54 games. Despite Anyang's poor results, the relatively young squad – which also included guards

Kim Tae-sul 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 where he won the KBL Championship. He was als ...

and

and forward

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 ...

– were highlighted as future stars. Park would go on to win the Rookie of the Year award. He enlisted for mandatory military service in April 2012 and joined the Sangmu team after completing basic training. He was discharged in January 2014. Park was traded to

Incheon Electroland Elephants The Daegu KOGAS Pegasus (in Korean: 대구 한국가스공사 페가수스) is a professional basketball club in the Korean Basketball League (KBL). Established in 1994, the team plays in the KBL since its existence. Since 2021, the club is base ...

for Han Hee-won in 2016. He led them to the play-offs and became the team's main point guard due to injury problems and underwhelming performances from the other starting point guards. At the end of the 2020-21 season, Incheon Electroland Elephants was in the process of being bought over by another company and relocated to another city. Park decided to leave and was traded to

together with

Kang Sang-jae Kang Sang-jae (born 31 December 1994) is a South Korean professional basketball player. He began his career with the Korean Basketball League side Incheon Electroland Elephants and is now playing for Wonju DB Promy. Early years A native of D ...

in exchange for

Doo Kyung-min Doo Kyung-min (born 22 September 1991) is a South Korean professional basketball player. He plays for Daegu KOGAS Pegasus in the Korean Basketball League and for the South Korean national team. Early years Doo enjoyed playing basketball as a c ...

National team

Park was selected for the 2010 Asian Games despite having just turned professional. He has participated in two FIBA World Cups, the

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

and

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

editions.

Personal life

Park has been married since 2015. He and his wife have a son Si-yu (born 2016). Park's younger brother Park Chan-woong is a former

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 ...

commentator who also played college basketball for

References

External links

Profile
at KBL.or.kr 1987 births Living people Anyang KGC players Asian Games gold medalists for South Korea Asian Games silver medalists for South Korea Asian Games bronze medalists for South Korea Asian Games medalists in basketball Basketball players at the 2010 Asian Games Basketball players at the 2014 Asian Games Basketball players at the 2018 Asian Games Guards (basketball) Korean Basketball League players Kyungbock High School alumni Kyung Hee University alumni Medalists at the 2010 Asian Games Medalists at the 2014 Asian Games Medalists at the 2018 Asian Games People from Yeosu South Korean men's basketball players Wonju DB Promy players 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup players 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup players Sportspeople from South Jeolla Province {{SouthKorea-basketball-bio-stub