Kang Sang-jae

Kang Sang-jae (born 31 December 1994) is a South Korean professional basketball player.[1][2] He began his career with the Korean Basketball League side Incheon Electroland Elephants and is now playing for Wonju DB Promy.[3]

Kang Sang-jae
No. 26 – Wonju DB Promy
PositionPower forward
LeagueKorean Basketball League
Personal information
Born (1994-12-31) December 31, 1994
Daegu, South Korea
NationalitySouth Korean
Listed height6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Listed weight232 lb (105 kg)
Career information
CollegeKorea University
KBL draft2016: 1st round, 3rd overall pick
Playing career2016–present
Career history
2016-2021Incheon Electroland Elephants
2020-2021→ Sangmu (loan)
2021-presentWonju DB Promy
Career highlights and awards
Medals
Representing  South Korea
Asian Games
Bronze medal – third placeJakarta–Palembang 2018Team
Kang Sang-jae
Hangul
강상재
Hanja
姜相才
Revised RomanizationGang Sang-jae
McCune–ReischauerKang Sangchae

Early years

A native of Daegu, Kang had been taller than most of his peers as a child and was thus drawn to basketball.[4] He moved to Seoul for high school and attended Hongik University High School. With attention focused on Seoul's traditional powerhouses Yongsan and Kyungbock High Schools, he mostly flew under the radar until the fall 2012 championships, during which he led his high school to win the South Division title and was named tournament MVP.[5]

Career

College

Kang played college basketball for Korea University and was teammates with Lee Jong-hyun. He was mostly a substitute player during his freshman year but established himself by his junior year, especially during the Professional-Amateur series, in which collegiate teams play against KBL professional and reserve teams. He and Lee, dubbed the "Twin Towers" because of their height, led Korea University to a surprise win over a Sangmu team composed of experienced KBL players fulfilling their mandatory military service.[6] During his senior year, Korea University were overshadowed by a dominant Yonsei University team captained by Choi Jun-yong in the collegiate league and competitions but Kang impressed enough to earn a call up to the national team.[7]

Professional

Kang, along with Lee and Choi, was considered one of the "big 3" of the 2016 KBL rookie draft.[8][9][7] He was drafted third overall by Incheon Electroland Elephants. In his first season, he averaged 8.20 points, 4.58 rebounds and 0.96 assists as Incheon reached the semi-finals of the playoffs. He won the KBL Rookie of the Year Award.[10] In the 2017–18 season, he averaged 9.63 points, 5.24 rebounds and 1.19 assists. In his 3rd season there, he averaged 11.62 points 5.64 rebounds and 1.39 assists.[11][12]

Kang enlisted for mandatory military service in June 2020 and was assigned to the Sangmu team after completing basic training.[13][14] His contract ended following the 2020-21 season and he became a free agent. Wonju DB Promy signed him and veteran Park Chan-hee in a trade-off with Doo Kyung-min and announced that Kang would be added to the team roster immediately after his discharge.[15] He was officially discharged on December 1, returning to the team for the remainder of the 2021-22 season.[16][17]

Junior teams

Kang participated in the 2013 FIBA Under-19 World Championship, where he averaged 18.8 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1 assists[18][2]

Senior team

Kang was named into the squad for the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup where he averaged 2.6 points, 1.6 rebounds and 0 assist at the tournament.[1][19] He was called up to the national team several times while in the military due to injury problems.

Personal life

Kang married his girlfriend in May 2020, weeks before his enlistment.[14]

References
  1. "Sangjae KANG at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019". FIBA.basketball.
  2. "Sangjae Kang, Basketball Player". Proballers.
  3. "Sang-Jae Kang Basketball Player Profile, Inchon ET Land Elephants, News, KBL stats, Career, Games Logs, Best, Awards - asia-basket". Eurobasket LLC.
  4. "[MY FAMILY] 강상재의 어머니, 김위숙 씨가 말하는 우리 아들". Jumpball (in Korean). 4 April 2017.
  5. "홍대부고·상주여고, 추계농구 우승" (in Korean). KBS. 21 September 2012.
  6. "고려대 '트윈 타워' 이종현·강상재, 상무 눌렀다". JoongAng Ilbo (in Korean). 20 August 2015.
  7. "최준용-강상재 "우정과 라이벌 사이" ①". Jumpball (in Korean). 3 January 2017.
  8. "KBL 신인 드래프트…'빅3' 이종현·최준용·강상재 "내가 최고 되겠다"". Seoul Shinmun (in Korean). 18 October 2016.
  9. "[KBL 신인드래프트] 황금 세대 '빅3'가 뜬다". Hankook Ilbo (in Korean). 18 October 2016.
  10. "오세근 프로농구 MVP...강상재 신인왕". JoongAng Ilbo (in Korean). 27 March 2017.
  11. "Sangjae Kang Player Profile, Incheon ET Land Elephants, International Stats, Events Stats, Game Logs, Awards - RealGM". basketball.realgm.com.
  12. "Incheon ET Land Elephants Rosters - RealGM". basketball.realgm.com.
  13. "결혼과 군대 앞둔 강상재 "대한민국 남자라면 피할 수 없기에"" (in Korean). BasketKorea.com. 4 April 2020.
  14. "군입대 강상재 "훌륭한 선수, 멋진 남편으로 돌아오겠다"". Yonhap News Agency (in Korean). 28 May 2020.
  15. "DB가 풀어야 할 숙제, 강상재 '3번 활용법'" (in Korean). BasketKorea.com. 26 August 2021.
  16. "제대 후 돌아갈 원주 DB 상대로 30점·15R 맹활약한 상무 강상재". The Dong-a Ilbo (in Korean). 13 September 2021.
  17. "돌아오는 '예비역 병장' 강상재 "DB산성 재건 충분히 가능"" (in Korean). joins.com. 1 December 2021.
  18. "U19 Korea Roster, Schedule, Stats". Proballers.
  19. "Kang Sangjae - Basketball player profile & career statistics - Global Sports Archive". globalsportsarchive.com.
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