KBL Best 5
The KBL Best 5 (Korean: 베스트 5) an annual honor bestowed on the best players in the Korean Basketball League following every season. The honor is analogous to the "All-NBA Team" in the NBA or "Team of the Year" in association football. Voting is conducted by a panel of KBL-registered reporters and journalists who exclusively cover the sport.[1] Both domestic and foreign players are eligible for selection.
"One-club man" Yang Dong-geun holds the all-time record for the most number of selections, with nine, and Seo Jang-hoon and Kim Joo-sung are jointly ranked second, with eight selections. Moon Tae-jong and his younger brother Moon Tae-young were both selected for the 2013–14 season's Best 5, the only occasion where a pair of brothers were simultaneously selected. Heo Ung and Heo Hoon are the only other pair of brothers who have been voted into the Best 5, albeit on separate occasions.
Selections
| ^ | Denotes players who are still active in the KBL |
| * | Denotes players who have been voted into the KBL All-Time Legend 12 |
| Player (X) | Denotes the number of times the player has been selected |
| Player (in bold text) |
Indicates the player who won the KBL Most Valuable Player in the same year |
1997 to 2018–19
From the inception of the honor, voters have selected two guards, two forwards and a center. Best 5 teams are listed according to their positions in the following descending order: two guards, two forwards and a center. The positions are generally the position the player is registered as with the KBL but "swingman" players may be listed under the position they played the most in for that particular season, resulting several players being voted into the Best 5 on different occasions in different positions.
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2019–20 to present
From the 2019–20 season onwards, the season's five best players are selected by voters without regard to position.[9] The five players who received the most votes are selected. Players are listed in descending order by number of votes received.
| Season | Best 5 | |
|---|---|---|
| Players | Teams | |
| 2019–20[10][nb 10] | ||
| Heo Hoon^ | Busan KT Sonicboom | |
| Kim Jong-kyu^ | Wonju DB Promy | |
| Song Kyo-chang^ | Jeonju KCC Egis | |
 Jameel Warney^ | Seoul SK Knights | |
 Cady Lalanne | Changwon LG Sakers | |
| 2020–21[12] | ||
| Heo Hoon^ (2) | Busan KT Sonicboom | |
| Song Kyo-chang^ (2) | Jeonju KCC Egis | |
| Shawn Long | Ulsan Hyundai Mobis Phoebus | |
| Lee Dae-sung^ | Goyang Orion Orions | |
| Yang Hong-seok^ (2) | Busan KT Sonicboom | |
| 2021–22 | Choi Jun-yong^ | Seoul SK Knights |
| Jameel Warney^ (2) | Seoul SK Knights | |
| Lee Dae-sung^ (2) | Goyang Orion Orions | |
| Heo Ung^ | Wonju DB Promy | |
| Jeon Sung-hyeon^ | Anyang KGC | |
Multi-time winners
| # of Selections | Player | Team(s) | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Yang Dong-geun | Ulsan Hyundai Mobis Phoebus | 2005–06, 2006–07, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16 |
| 8 | Seo Jang-hoon | Cheongju SK Knights / Seoul Samsung Thunders | 1998–99, 1999–00, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2007–08 |
| Kim Joo-sung | Wonju DB Promy | 2002–03, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2011–12, 2014–15 | |
| 6 | Kang Dong-hee | Busan Kia Enterprise / Changwon LG Sakers | 1997, 1997–98, 1998–99, 1999–00, 2000–01, 2002–03 |
| 4 | Lee Sang-min | Daejeon Hyundai / Jeonju KCC Egis | 1997–98, 1998–99, 2001–02, 2003–04 |
| Joo Hee-jung | Suwon Samsung Thunders / Anyang KT&G | 2000–01, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09 | |
| Kim Seung-hyun | Daegu Orions | 2001–02, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2005–06 | |
| Moon Tae-young | Changwon LG Sakers / Ulsan Mobis Phoebus | 2009–10, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15 | |
| Lee Jung-hyun | Anyang KGC / Jeonju KCC Egis | 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19 | |
| 3 | Johnny McDowell |
Daejeon Hyundai Dynat / Gullivers | 1997–98, 1998–99, 1999–00 |
| Ha Seung-jin | Jeonju KCC Egis | 2009–10, 2010–11, 2015–16 | |
| Ham Ji-hoon | Ulsan Hyundai Mobis Phoebus | 2009–10, 2015–16, 2018–19 | |
| Oh Se-keun | Anyang KGC | 2011–12, 2016–17, 2017–18 | |
| Aaron Haynes |
Seoul SK Knights / Goyang Orion Orions | 2012–13, 2016–17, 2017–18 |
Notes
- Domestic basketball was then an amateur sport and the inaugural season of the professional league began play in February 1997 to allow for a smooth transition.
- Yang Dong-geun and Seo Jang-hoon were joint winners of the KBL Most Valuable Player Award for the 2005–06 season.
- Award was revoked after the KBL permanently expelled Shannon due to his drug possession charges.[2]
- Akins was later known by his Korean name Chon Tae-poong (전태풍) after obtaining South Korean citizenship and renouncing his American citizenship as South Korean law did not allow for dual nationality at that time.[3]
- Stevenson has been known by his Korean name Moon Tae-young (문태영) after obtaining South Korean citizenship through his Korean mother.
- Joint selection in the center position
- Award was nullified after his expulsion from the KBL
- Ratliffe became a naturalized South Korean citizen in 2018 and has gone by his Korean name Ra Gun-ah (라건아) since then.[5]
- Joint selection in the forward position
- Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in March 2020, the KBL board of directors voted to end the season early, in the middle of the fifth round, and cancel the play-offs. Instead the KBL board of directors declared Wonju DB Promy and Seoul SK Knights as joint first place on the league table.[11]
References
- "[KBL 시상식] 이정현 정규리그 국내선수 MVP 수상...외국선수 MVP는 라건아(종합)". Rookie (in Korean). March 20, 2019.
- "[KBL 최우수 외국선수] '영구 제명' 테런스 섀넌, 그래도 남아있는 타이틀" (in Korean). BasketKorea.com. March 16, 2020.
- "Mixed-race player gives 'hoop dreams' to multi-ethnic kids". Korea JoongAng Daily. January 29, 2013.
- "양동근 조성민 문태영-태종, 제퍼슨 베스트 5". The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). April 14, 2014.
- "'한국인'이 된 라틀리프 "한국선수라는 자부심 갖고 뛰겠다"". Yonhap News Agency (in Korean). January 22, 2018.
- "2016-2017 KCC 프로농구 시상식 결과 안내" (in Korean). Korean Basketball League. March 27, 2017.
- "2017-2018 정관장 프로농구 시상식 결과 안내" (in Korean). Korean Basketball League. March 14, 2018.
- "2018-2019 SKT 5GX 프로농구 시상식 결과 안내" (in Korean). Korean Basketball League. March 20, 2019.
- "[KBL시상식] '센터만 셋' 베스트5, 평균 198cm 역대 최고 장대 군단" (in Korean). Daum News. April 20, 2020.
- "2019-2020 현대모비스 프로농구 시상식 결과 안내" (in Korean). Korean Basketball League. April 20, 2020.
- "원주시, DB 공동 1위 이의제기…KBL은 재고 불가". JoongAng Ilbo (in Korean). March 26, 2020.
- "2020-2021 현대모비스 프로농구 시상식 결과 안내" (in Korean). Korean Basketball League. April 7, 2021.
External Links
- Korean Basketball League Official Website (in Korean)
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| Draft | |
| Awards | |
 Category | |