*This content was translated by AI.
Jeon Hee-chul (53), head coach of Seoul SK, bowed his head over the suspicion of intentional defeat in the final regular league match.
KBL held the 2025-2026 LG Electronics Professional Basketball Playoff (PO) Media Day at the KBL Center on the 5th floor of the KBL Center in Dosan-daero, Gangnam-gu, Seoul on the morning of the 10th.
Coach Jeon Hee-chul apologized during the media day, saying, "I'm sorry for causing controversy," and even after the event ended, "I'm sorry that the team will be at the center of the controversy. I will sincerely explain it to the Financial Services Commission," he said.
The controversy came out in the final match of the regular league against Anyang Jeonggwanjang on the 8th. At that time, SK was in a situation where the third or fourth place was decided depending on the result of the game. Coincidentally, the results of other clubs came out first during the game, and fifth-place Goyang Sono and sixth-place Busan KCCC were confirmed. According to the semi-final PO match rules, the third-place team will meet KCC and the fourth-place team Sono.
Coincidental scenes were produced immediately after the opposing team was decided. SK Kim Myung-jin missed both free throws in a 65-65 tie 13 seconds before the end of the game. In particular, the second free throw bounced off the backboard. SK, which allowed a run in the subsequent defense, lost 65-67 as it blocked even the last opportunity to attack. This defeat confirmed SK's fourth place and will face fifth-ranked Sono, not sixth-ranked KCC, in the PO.
On the impact of the deliberate defeat controversy on the team's atmosphere, coach Jeon Hee-chul expressed his honest feelings, saying, "I think there will be some impact." At the same time, he said, "As a director, I have to take full responsibility. "I want the players to focus only on the playoffs," he said, bending his head down.
Sono coach Son Chang-hwan, who faced SK, said, "I thought I was chosen for a while, but I wasn't that dominant," adding, "Both SK and Wonju DB are difficult teams to deal with. I didn't think any team was particularly difficult. As soon as the event is over, video meetings with the players are also prepared," he said, renewing his determination to focus only on winning.
KBL judged the final match between SK and Jung Kwan-jang as an unfaithful game and immediately responded. A federation official announced, "As a result of monitoring the game between SK and the head of the articles of association, there was a part that was judged to have been unfaithful, so we opened the finance committee," adding, "We will deliberate on various game scenes from various angles, including the opinions of each club." As a result, the 31st 12th Finance Committee will be held at the KBL Center at 3 p.m. today, about three hours after the end of the media day.
In 2017, KBL held a financial committee due to a similar controversy and imposed sanctions of 5 million won and reprimanded the coach.
<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>
*This content was translated by AI.
