The winner of the fierce 'family battle' was Ahn Young-jun (30, Seoul SK). Ahn Young-jun surpassed his senior Kim Sun-hyung (37) to claim his first regular season Most Valuable Player (MVP) award.

The Korea Basketball League (KBL) held the 2024-2025 KCC professional basketball awards ceremony on the afternoon of the 9th at the Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas Hotel in Gangnam, Seoul.

The winners of the six individual awards in the institutional sector were announced first. Go Yang Sono's Lee Jung-hyun won the steals award for the second consecutive year with an average of 1.9 steals per game, and Cady Laren took the block shot award (average of 1.2). Heo Hoon and Asem Marey claimed the assist award (average of 6.2) and the rebound award (average of 13.1), respectively, while Andrew Nicholson and Jamil Warney received the three-point award (total 123) and the scoring award (average of 22.6 points).

The Sixth Man Award was won by KT's Park Jun-young. The Most Improved Player (MIP) and Rookie of the Year awards went to Yang Jun-seok and Joel Kagulangan. Kagulangan became the first Rookie of the Year in KT's history.

The Best Five were split between the championship team SK and the runner-up team LG for the first time in history. Warney received all 111 votes for one spot, while Ahn Young-jun and Kim Sun-hyung, who are invaluable to SK's championship, recorded 106 and 69 votes, respectively, to join the Best Five. The remaining two spots went to LG's Carl Tamayo (52 votes) and Asem Marey (42 votes).

Following this, SK's award celebration continued. SK secured the early championship in mid-last month, marking the club's fourth regular season title. Additionally, SK became the champion after just 46 games, setting a new record for the 'fewest games to win the regular season in KBL history,' surpassing DB's record of 47 games set in the 2011-2012 season.

Naturally, the Coach of the Year award and the Foreign MVP were awarded to Coach Jeon Hee-chul and Warney. Coach Jeon received overwhelming support with 106 out of 111 votes. It was his second Coach of the Year award.

Warney swept all 111 votes, marking the second foreign MVP unanimous selection since MacDowell in the 1997-1998 season. In addition, he secured his fourth regular season MVP and became the record holder for most foreign MVP awards (4), surpassing Johnny MacDowell and Ra Gun-na, who have each won it three times. Warney excelled this season, playing all 54 games and averaging 22.6 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 4.4 assists, making him a key contributor to SK's championship.

The highly anticipated domestic player MVP went to Ahn Young-jun. He received 89 out of 111 votes, leaving Kim Sun-hyung (19 votes) behind to achieve his first MVP award after eight years of debut.

Ahn Young-jun, who blossomed with potential this season, debuted in the 2017-2018 season as a sixth man for SK but gradually honed his skills to establish himself as a versatile player. His season performance included an average of 14.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 2.7 assists over 51 games, marking his first career triple-double. He also made an average of 1.9 three-pointers per game.

Kim Sun-hyung, known as 'the key to SK's fast break,' aimed for his third MVP but was sadly overshadowed by Ahn Young-jun. After struggling with injuries last season, he announced his comeback this season with averages of 12.9 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 4.3 assists over 50 games. Last month, he also reached the milestone of 8,000 career points. However, it was not enough to surpass Ahn Young-jun.

Ahn Young-jun, named the best star in KBL, stated, "I am very grateful to the coach, the Director General, the Director General, the coaches, and my teammates who helped me reach this position. Above all, I would like to thank my wife, daughter, and family who have quietly supported and helped me in the closest place."

Ahn Young-jun also remarked, "These days, basketball tends to highlight players who display flashy plays or score many points. Although I may not be flashy, I wanted to contribute to the team with plays that help in both offense and defense. I believe this award shows that such a path can be recognized. Lastly, thanks to the fans of SK, I was able to achieve good results. I will strive to win with MVP-worthy performances in the remaining games."

Ahn Young-jun, who expressed the era of Ahn Young-jun over Kim Sun-hyung for the MVP award, fulfilled his dream and said, "I'm so nervous. My legs are trembling so much that I can barely speak. I feel really good."

Now, Ahn Young-jun's sights are set on an overall championship in three years. He stated, "Last season, we fell short in the playoffs. We have prepared a lot. I am confident regardless of which team we face. Everyone feels the same. We will definitely win the championship."

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