Kang Dong-hee

Kang Dong-hee (born 20 December 1966) is a South Korean former basketball player and coach. He competed in the men's tournament at the 1996 Summer Olympics.[1] In his prime, Kang was regarded as the best domestic point guard of his generation and was nicknamed "Wizard of the Court" (코트의 마법사).[2]

Kang Dong-hee
Personal information
Born (1966-12-20) 20 December 1966
Imsil, South Korea
NationalitySouth Korean
Listed height180 cm (5 ft 11 in)
Career information
CollegeChung-Ang University
Playing career1990–2004
PositionGuard
Coaching career2004–2013
Career history
As player:
1990–2002Busan Kia Enterprise / Ulsan Mobis Automons
2002–2004Changwon LG Sakers
As coach:
2004–2005Changwon LG Sakers (assistant coach)
2005–2013Wonju DB Promy (assistant coach / head coach)
Career highlights and awards
As player
As coach
  • KBL Championship (2008)
  • KBL regular season champions (2008, 2012)
Korean name
Hangul
강동희
Hanja
姜東熙
Revised RomanizationGang Dong-hui
McCune–ReischauerKang Donghŭi

Early life

Kang spent his schooling years in Incheon and was first introduced to basketball in elementary school but stopped playing for a number of years due to his short stature.[3] His interest was reignited when some soldiers from the nearby military base visited his middle school and played basketball with the students. He attended Songdo High School, one of the oldest high school basketball programs in Gyeonggi Province.[3]

Playing career

Kang played for Chung-Ang University. Together with Hur Jae and Kim Yoo-taek, the "Hur-Dong-Taek Trio" formed the core of the Chung-Ang University team which dominated college basketball during the 1980s and still regarded as one of the most legendary group of players in Chung-Ang history.[4][5] He joined Kim and Hur at the Busan-based amateur basketball team of Kia in 1990 and played a major role in the team's dominance of the pre-KBL semi-professional league.

During the inaugural professional KBL season, Busan Kia achieved a rare "double" of winning the championship and topping the league table while Kang had the rare honor of winning both the regular season MVP and playoffs MVP.[6] He averaged 15.6 points and 7.3 assists in the regular season and 18.0 points and 6.0 assists in the play-offs.[7] In 2001, Kia was bought over by Hyundai and became the presently-named Ulsan Hyundai Mobis Phoebus. Kang stayed with the reorganized team for another season before joining Changwon LG Sakers.[8] He retired at the end of the 2003-04 season, the same time as Hur.[3]

At the time of his retirement, Kang was the first player in KBL history to record 2000 assists and score a triple-double.[3][9] He led the league in assists for four seasons.[9]

Coaching career

Kang went into coaching, joining the coaching staff of Wonju DB Promy in 2005 and then serving as head coach from 2009 to 2013. His tenure as a coach came to an end due to his indictment for match-fixing.

Controversy

In August 2013, the Uijeongbu District Court indicted Kang on four counts of match-fixing and illegally accepting money from brokers and sentenced him to ten months in prison and a fine of 47 million won. He was reportedly the first head coach of a professional team from the four major domestic team sports (football, basketball, baseball and volleyball) to be arrested, charged and imprisoned for match-fixing.[10] The investigation into Kang was linked to a wider crackdown and investigation into illegal sports betting which involved a number of personalities from the entertainment industry, including Kim Yong-man and Lee Soo-geun.[11] In a separate disciplinary hearing, the KBL voted to expel him as a registered coach that September. After serving his sentence, he largely keeps a low profile and holds seminars and talks on the dangers of gambling addiction.[12] In 2021, he sent a petition to the KBL to reconsider the expulsion, to which the KBL reaffirmed its initial stance and declined his petition.[12][13]

Kang appeared on the JTBC sports variety program Let's Play Basketball (뭉쳐야 쏜다) in an episode scheduled to air in June 2021, the theme being "National Basketball Festival", the main basketball competition of the pre-KBL era. He had been invited as he was a member of the Busan Kia team of the 1980s and early 1990s which dominated the competition. After JTBC released the trailer online, Kang's appearance was met with much negativity from viewers, leading JTBC to issue an apology.[14] His full shots were edited out of the episode.[15][16]

Personal life

Kang married Lee Kwang-sun in 2004 and they have two sons.[17] He was the last of the "Hur-Dong-Taek Trio" to marry and also has two sons like Hur and Kim.[18]

See also

References
  1. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Kang Dong-hee Olympic Results". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
  2. "[프로농구]'코트의 마법사' 강동희 무대 떠나다". The Dong-a Ilbo (in Korean). 14 May 2004.
  3. "[농구/스포츠카페]28년 농구선수 접고 지도자 변신 강동희". The Dong-a Ilbo (in Korean). 23 May 2004.
  4. "[드래프트] 허재·허웅부터 이준호·이종현까지…부자가 같은 팀에서 뛴 역대 사례는?". Jumpball (in Korean). 29 September 2021.
  5. "허동택 트리오, 코트에서 다시 뭉치나? 중앙대-기아자동차 전설들 모처럼 코트에 선다". Jumpball (in Korean). 22 January 2021.
  6. "<프로농구>기아엔터프라이즈 원년 우승 - 강동희 정규리그 이어 또 MVP". JoongAng Ilbo (in Korean). 2 May 1997.
  7. "[KBL 역대 MVP] 강동희의 센스, 원년 시즌 통합 우승을 안기다" (in Korean). BasketKorea.com. 3 March 2020.
  8. "<KBL Anycall프로농구>LG 강동희 펄펄 모비스 기세 꺾어". JoongAng Ilbo (in Korean). 30 October 2002.
  9. "강동희 "13일 첫 2000 어시스트 쏜다"". The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). 11 November 2002.
  10. "추락한 코트의 마법사…'승부조작' 강동희, 징역 10월" (in Korean). JTBC. 8 August 2013.
  11. "강동희 이어 김용만까지…'불법' 스포츠토토가 발목 잡네" (in Korean). JTBC. 22 March 2013.
  12. "KBL, '제명' 강동희 전 감독 15일 재심의". JoongAng Ilbo (in Korean). 14 June 2021.
  13. "승부조작 강동희 '제명' 유지…징계 해제안 기각 결정". Yonhap News Agency (in Korean). 15 June 2021.
  14. "JTBC '뭉쳐야 쏜다' 승부조작 강동희 출연 논란에 사과". The Hankyoreh (in Korean). 28 June 2021.
  15. "뭉쳐야쏜다, '승부조작' 강동희 섭외 사과…출연분 편집키로". Yonhap News Agency (in Korean). 28 June 2021.
  16. "강동희, '뭉쳐야 쏜다' 예고편 등장…시청자 뿔났다". Hankook Ilbo (in Korean). 28 June 2021.
  17. "[프로농구]프로농구 강동희 5월 29일 결혼". The Dong-a Ilbo (in Korean). 27 April 2004.
  18. "강동희 아들 강성욱 "허훈 형 기다려"". JoongAng Ilbo (in Korean). 28 February 2019.
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