It was perfect, except that I mightn’t shout out the names of the players I usually support. The spectators, who entered the stadium wearing masks following checking whether they had been vaccinated, watched every move the players enjoyed and performed, occasionally exhaling short sighs and bursting with laughter. Instead of shouting, a long round of applause followed.
The professional sports All-Star Game, which had been stopped following the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) pandemic, was held on the basketball court on the 16th. Among the four major professional sports in Korea, professional basketball is the first time an All-Star Game has been held since Corona 19.
The Daegu Indoor Stadium, where the All-Star Game was held, was filled with 3,300 fans from the first to the third floor. Ahead of the start of the 2021-2022 season, professional basketball has decided to open all spectator seats only to those who have completed vaccinations in accordance with the guidelines of the quarantine authorities. At the discretion of each club, 50% to 100% of the spectator seats are open. However, as social distancing guidelines are tightened due to the spread of COVID-19, the audience has never actually been full. On this day, the players also played in the stadium full of spectators for a long time.
The players did their best to give the fans unforgettable memories. The first thing that caught my eye were the families of Heo Woong (DB) and Heo Hoon (KT). The two brothers, who placed 1st and 2nd in the All-Star Game voting to form a team with their own names, stood at the half-line to play a jump ball before the start of the game. At this time, the person who made a surprise appearance as a daily referee and lifted the ball was the father of the two players, Heo Jae, former coach of the men’s basketball team.
While watching the referee for regarding 4 minutes until the first operational time in the first quarter was called, former coach Heo showed a strict attitude toward his two sons. He called a total of 3 calls: 1 foul to the first Heo Woong, the second Heo Hoon, and a traveling violation to Heo Hoon. Heo Hoon provoked laughter from the fans by raising his thumbs when the whistle was blew towards him and protesting violently when the whistle was blew at his brother. Afterwards, Lee Jung-hyeon (Orion), a rookie from Team Heo Hoon, tried to post up when Lee Seung-hyun, a senior member of Team Heo Woong’s team, blocked the front, making the audience laugh.
In the match, Team Heo Woong defeated Team Heo Hoon 120-117. Heo Hoon, who was defeated by his brother in the fan vote, recruited Lee Jeong-hyeon (KCC), who said he had never lost in the All-Star Game, and tried to turn the game around, but it ended in failure. Heo Hoon’s 3-point shot, which was thrown to equalize before the end of the game, also missed the rim. Heo Woong played an active part with the team’s highest score of 21 points that day, leading his team to victory, and earned 62 out of 71 valid votes, even winning the Most Valuable Player (MVP) in the All-Star Game. Heo Woong said, “It’s an honor to work with players I want to play. These players pushed me and I was able to receive a precious prize. It was a fun time with my father judging. Through today’s game, I also saw the potential for development of Korean basketball. I will work harder,” he said.
Lee Kwan-hee (LG) won the 3-point shooting contest held that day. In the dunk contest, Yoongi Ha (KT) took first place in the domestic player category and Omari Spellman (KGC) took the first place in the foreign player category, respectively.
Daegu = Reporter Bae-jung Kim wanted@donga.com