Cho Sung-won

Cho went on to Myongji University.[4] Initially he thought of accepting the offer from Yonsei University, his father's alma mater, but opted for Myongji since he would be guaranteed playing time.[5] Myongji was largely overshadowed by the Yonsei's dominance in the National Basketball Festival, then the main amateur competition. During his senior year, he made headlines after scoring 37 points in an upset of powerhouses Chung-Ang University and finishing fourth overall in the scoring rankings, despite Myongji being eliminated early.[8]

Prior to graduating, Cho was scouted by both Hyundai Electronics and Samsung Electronics and signed with the former.[5] In 1995 he enlisted for mandatory military service together with Lee and was assigned to the Sangmu team after completing basic training.[9] By the time they were discharged in 1997, the professional league had just been established.[10] With the signing of Hanyang University forward Choo Seung-gyun that year, the famed "Lee-Cho-Choo trio" was formed and spearheaded Hyundai's domination during the early years of the league. Cho's scoring prowess and Choo's physicality and shooting accuracy were backed up by Lee's playmaking and passing skills.[11][12] Cho first gained the reputation as clutch performer; his form was inconsistent at times during the regular season but he would score during crucial moments of the fourth quarter and in the playoffs.[13]

Cho was signed by Changwon LG Sakers in a surprise trade for Yang Hee-seung after the 1999–2000 season ended. Under coach Kim Tae-hwan, LG stormed the league with Cho at the forefront, averaging a record 103.6 points in nine games, an unprecedented record to this day.[14] With his new team, Cho averaged 25.7 points during the 2000–01 regular season, ranked 1st among domestic players (5th overall, among both domestic and foreign players) and was also free throw percentage leader, winning the KBL Most Valuable Player Award.[4][13] He lived up to his reputation for rising to the occasion during the playoffs, averaging 22.2 points in 5 games, as LG reached the Championship finals for the first time in its history. Unfortunately, LG were unable to overcome a Joo Hee-jung-inspired Suwon Samsung Thunders.[13]

In December 2002, Cho joined Seoul SK Knights. After the season ended, he returned to his first team, which had since moved to Jeonju and become Jeonju KCC Egis.[13] He retired at the end of the 2005–06 season. In a 2021 interview, Cho stated that the last five years of his career was spent dealing with chronic pain as the condition of his knee had deteriorated to the point where he had difficulty climbing stairs for a period of time. His last season was also marred by a DUI charge during one of his off-days, which he unsuccessfully attempted to hide from his coaches.[5]

At the time of his retirement, Cho was ranked seventh for the most career three-pointers scored in KBL history and holds the record for the most consecutive three-pointers scored in a single game, a record which would remain untouched for fifteen years until it was tied by point guard Heo Hoon in 2019.[4][15] He was also known as a "clean" player who was never whistled for an unsportsmanlike foul and rarely argued with referees or match officials.[5]