Ahn Young-jun (30, Seoul SK) expressed gratitude and apologies to senior Kim Sun-hyung (37), with whom he had a 'family feud' over the domestic player Most Valuable Player award (MVP).
The Korean Basketball League (KBL) held the 2024-2025 KCC Professional Basketball Awards ceremony at the Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas hotel in Gangnam, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 9th.
It was a celebration for the winning team SK. SK climbed to the top of the regular league for the fourth time in franchise history after securing an early victory mid-last month.
Moreover, SK became champions in just 46 games, breaking the 'KBL record for the fewest games to win the regular season,' beating the previous record of 47 games set by DB in the 2011-2012 season. Additionally, they finished the season with 41 wins and 13 losses, marking only the third time in franchise history that they reached 40 wins.
The dominance of SK continued at the awards ceremony. Jamil Wigginton won the scoring title (averaging 22.6 points), the 'unanimous' foreign player MVP award, and a spot on the Best 5 team, achieving a triple crown. Ahn Young-jun and Kim Sun-hyung were also selected for the Best 5.
The Coach of the Year award also went to Jeon Hee-chul. He received 106 votes out of a total of 111 in the Coach of the Year voting, earning his second Coach of the Year title since his debut season in 2021-2022.
The domestic player MVP was also won by Ahn Young-jun. He received 89 votes out of 111, surpassing Kim Sun-hyung (19 votes) to achieve his first MVP award in his career, a distinction after 8 years since his debut.
Ahn Young-jun, who showcased his potential this season, had pulled off a notable performance. After debuting as a sixth man with SK in the 2017-2018 season, he honed his skills to become a versatile player. This season, he averaged 14.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 2.7 assists over 51 games, achieving his first career triple-double, with an average of 1.9 three-pointers per game.
After receiving his awards, Ahn said, "I always wanted to win an MVP when I received the Rookie of the Year award. It has already been 6 or 7 years. Back then, I said that with the enthusiasm of a rookie, but realistically it was difficult. Nonetheless, I think I've been able to achieve my goal of improving year after year, which led to me winning the MVP today. It feels great, and I’m truly honored."
What thoughts did Ahn Young-jun exchange with Kim Sun-hyung, who he competed with? Ahn stated, "After the 5th round, with the victory confirmed, it became apparent that the MVP race was between my brother Sun-hyung and me. However, he asked me to talk about each other's shortcomings. I thought that was a bit cruel." He added, "So I felt like our relationship with Sun-hyung had been strained (laughs). Thankfully, Sun-hyung came to congratulate me first. So I was really grateful. I felt sorry and thankful at the same time."
Ahn Young-jun had an outstanding year. He remarked, "Before going to the military, I achieved a combined championship, and I was a bit satisfied with that. I thought to show that same level of performance even while serving, but after not playing for a year and a half, my body didn't feel good." He continued, "After dropping out in the playoffs, I made a fresh start by working hard. I think the biggest factor this year was that I had no injuries. I had big ups and downs previously, but I reduced that significantly. That allowed me to grow as a player."
After the end of this season, Ahn Young-jun will become a free agent (FA). For this reason, coach Jeon Hee-chul even mentioned the term 'FA syndrome.' Ahn candidly admitted, "I think there was a lot of FA effect."
He also shared, "Because I won the championship and then went to the military three days later, I felt out of place while shaving my head in the training camp. Working out while commuting as a regular employee made it hard for me to stay motivated. I didn’t have anyone to help keep the ball for me. I endured it through sheer determination. Having the goal of FA, I prepared myself both physically and mentally, which helped greatly."
Now that Ahn Young-jun has both the Rookie of the Year and MVP titles, what is his next goal? He emphasized, "Next, it’s only the playoff MVP. However, rather than being greedy about that, my goal is to win one more championship ring."
Coach Jeon Hee-chul projected SK's chances of a combined championship at over 50%. What does Ahn think about it? He said, "When we won the regular season, I was confident as a player that we had an 80% to 90% chance of winning the combined championship. However, as we entered the 6th round, with my playing time limited, my sense of rhythm dropped. Honestly, I joked that if the coach had managed the team well, that 50% might have become 100%."
Ahn Young-jun's performance cannot be separated from the 'formula milk buff' from his daughter, born four years ago. He said, "As my daughter has grown and comes to the games, she talks a lot. She understands the atmosphere of the arena. Seeing her being noticed by fans makes her more attached to me." He laughed and added, "I have to show her more of my basketball side and be more cautious about my actions, too. I want to be recognized as both a great player and a wonderful dad by my daughter in the future."
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