[Behind the Interview] 'Legend' Kim Jong-un, who played for 21 years, filled her final commute home with tears

*This content was translated by AI.

"I heard sniffles here and there inside the dark bus. I cried a lot too."

Kim Jong-un (39), the 'legend' of women's professional basketball, has put a period to her 21-year playing career at the end of this season. Although she has been out of her uniform for a month, her ordinary life off the court still seemed unfamiliar.

In a phone call with StarNews on the 15th, Kim Jong-un said, "I still can't believe it. I keep thinking, 'Did I really retire?' but I am happy to be free from rehabilitation and body management." She added, "My family is also very happy. Until now, my parents, my younger sibling, and my in-laws have been like players competing alongside me. (Since I retired) my family, especially my husband, are happier than I am."

Her professional debut was a very long time ago. Kim Jong-un, who entered the professional stage as the first overall pick in the 2006 rookie draft, played on the court for a whopping 21 years until this season, performing as a top-tier player in the league. Kim Jong-un said, "Actually, I didn't know I would play for this long. Looking back, it was a long time, but on the other hand, it seems like time flew by quickly. I don't know if my current feeling is lightness or something else, or what emotion it is," and smiled, adding, "Perhaps because I played for so long, I still think, 'Did I really retire?'"

In fact, Kim Jong-un was deeply conflicted about retirement even after finishing the 2024-2025 season. However, due to her teammates', she decided to play one more season on the court. Kim Jong-un explained, "Looking back, I think that choice was right. I didn't play just for the sake of records, but as a result, I also set a record of 601 games played."

On December 21 last year, Kim Jong-un stepped onto the court for her 601st career game in a match against Woori Bank in Asan, surpassing former Woori Bank coach Im Young-hee (600 games) to set a new all-time WKBL record for most games played. She went on to appear in a total of 620 games until her retirement, raising the wall of the highest record in this category even higher. Additionally, Kim Jong-un has firmly secured her name as the all-time leading scorer in WKBL history with 8,476 points. Starting with the 2006 winter league Shin In-seon (수상), she swept major trophies including four scoring titles, six league Best 5 selections, and one championship final MVP.

This season, a 'retirement tour' for Kim Jong-un, the first of its kind in WKBL history, was arranged on the women's professional basketball court. She said, "I was so grateful. I mentioned it several times before, and also at the awards ceremony, but since it was my first retirement tour, I think I can live with pride from now on." She added, "I hope that starting with me, the retirement journeys of my juniors will become even more spectacular."

Although Kim Jong-un firmly stated that she has "not even a speck of lingering regret" about her 21-year journey, there is exactly one regret that remains in her heart. It is the failure to advance to the championship finals this season. Hana Bank, under the command of coach Lee Sang-beom, overturned everyone's expectations and created a fierce storm as the 'regular season runner-up'. However, they could not overcome the wall of Yongin Samsung Life on the spring basketball stage. On April 15, the 4th game of the playoffs held in Yongin became Kim Jong-un's final game. At that time, she sat on the court with deep regret and could not get up for a while.

Kim Jong-un said, "We achieved the best result as the regular season runner-up, but not only I, but all my juniors desperately wanted to reach the championship finals stage." She added, "Not being able to go to the championship finals will leave a lasting regret. Regrets like 'I should have gone faster and helped with defense back then' also came flooding in," revealing her honest feelings.

On the way back after the final game of the season, the Hana Bank team bus was nothing short of a sea of tears. Kim Jong-un said, "Immediately after being eliminated from the playoffs, I really couldn't control my emotions. It was a dark bus with the lights off, but I could hear sniffles here and there. I shed many tears. My heart hurt so much." She recalled, "It was embarrassing to talk to my juniors looking at their faces, but I still sent a message via messenger saying 'You worked hard.' Then, each player replied with a personal message. Seeing my juniors' messages, I thought, 'Ah, so I poured everything I had into this without regret over the past years.'"

Continuing, Kim Jong-un said, "Over the past three years, I have grown very close with these friends, cooking and frying together. I will cherish these memories with these friends well," expressing her gratitude.

When asked about the most brilliant memories from her playing days, she pointed to two memorable moments. First, the moment she lifted her first-ever championship trophy during her Woori Bank days. Kim Jong-un said, "I remember the first time I won a championship." She added, "The period when I grew the most as a player was also during my time at Woori Bank. I learned a lot from Coach Song Seong-woo and Coach Jeonju-won, so I am always grateful. Not only in the championship career, but I learned so much during the training process. As those foundations accumulated, I tried to lead my juniors with more responsibility after returning to Hana Bank."

Another unforgettable moment was Hana Bank's first-ever playoff appearance in the 2023-2024 season. Kim Jong-un said, "We didn't have an overwhelming win rate at the time, but we worked very hard with my juniors to achieve that process. In the end, there was a difficult period with many injured players, but we eventually made it to the playoffs."

On the other hand, the only lingering regret remains the failure at the championship finals threshold this season. Kim Jong-un said, "I usually told my Hana Bank juniors, 'My best moment in my basketball life was when I won my first championship with Woori Bank. I wanted to rewrite that best moment anew with you all this year.'" She added, "In the end, I couldn't fulfill that earnest wish, so it will remain in my heart for a long time."

Kim Jong-un plans to take some rest for the time being. Although she received a coaching offer from the Hana Bank team, she politely declined and plans to spend time filling herself. Kim Jong-un said, "I think it would be right to take a break for about a year. I lived very immersed during the last three years of my playing career. Because of that, I felt that my body, mind, and spirit were very exhausted. So, I think it wouldn't be bad to take a short break."

However, she has not given up on the idea of becoming a coach. Kim Jong-un said, "Having experienced several coaches, including Coach Song Seong-woo, I felt how difficult a coaching position is. Still, I definitely have a dream of becoming a coach. However, I also felt more strongly as I got older that it is not a position to be taken lightly. If given the opportunity someday, I want to challenge myself as a coach with a sense of responsibility."

She continued, "My husband is also a former athlete, and he often tells me, 'You shine because you are inside it. You need to know that if you come out of it, you become a very small person.' I also lived being recognized in the basketball world to some extent, but in a way, I am now taking my first steps into society. So, I want to look around a lot and broaden my horizons. I hope this will be a time to build a good foundation to become a good person, even if it is to become a coach someday."

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*This content was translated by AI.