[Official] 'Last One' Kim Ye-jin Leaves the Court... WKBL FA Market Concludes, Next Target is 'Compensation Player'

*This content was translated by AI.

The women's professional basketball free agent (FA) market has concluded. The final FA target, Kim Ye-jin (29), has announced an unexpected retirement.

The Women's Korean Basketball League (WKBL) announced the results of the third round of 2026 FA negotiations on the 18th. According to this, Kim Ye-jin, who was the target of the third round of negotiations, chose to retire. Kim had already decided to retire, and Woori Bank attempted to persuade her until the last moment, but ultimately failed to reach an agreement.

This third round of negotiations took place from the 16th until 3 p.m. on the 18th, and negotiations could only be held with the original team. If the third round of negotiations had failed, negotiations with other teams would have been possible from the 19th to the 31st.

Kim Ye-jin entered the professional stage as the third overall pick in the 2016 rookie draft, appearing in 176 regular season games with an average of 14 minutes and 54 seconds per game. She recorded averages of 2.6 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 0.7 assists. She began her professional career with Bucheon KEBHana Bank (now Bucheon Hana Bank), played for Cheongju KB Stars, and has worn the Woori Bank uniform since 2024.

Fan attention now shifts to the designation of a compensation player. If an FA player signs with another team, the team that signs the player must submit a list of protected players by 5 p.m. on the 19th. The former team can choose a compensation player or compensation money by 5 p.m. on the 20th. The amount of compensation money and the number of protected players vary depending on the player's contribution in the previous year and the current year.

Kang I-seul, a 'top-tier shooter in the league' who moved from Cheongju KB to Woori Bank, and Yoon Ye-bin, who moved from Yongin Samsung Life to KB, fall under this compensation rule.

Earlier, on the 8th, Woori Bank officially announced the signing of FA player Kang I-seul with a four-year contract totaling 420 million won. Yoon Ye-bin signed with KB for a three-year contract with an annual total of 150 million won.

KB can designate one compensation player in addition to the four protected players held by Woori Bank. Alternatively, KB can receive compensation money equal to 300% of Kang I-seul's contract amount without designating a player. Samsung Life can receive one compensation player in addition to the six protected players submitted by KB, or receive compensation money equal to 100% of Yoon Ye-bin's contract amount.

Meanwhile, the 'biggest catch' of this FA market, Park Ji-su, has re-signed with her original team, KB. The contract period is two years, with an annual total of 500 million won. Through this contract, Park Ji-su has set a new record for the highest annual salary in the WKBL.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.