Omari Spellman (28, DB) targeted 'Best 5' Kim Sun-hyung (37, SK).

The 2024-2025 KCC Basketball Award Ceremony was held on the afternoon of the 9th at the Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas Hotel in Gangnam, Seoul.

The SK team, which won the regular league with a record-low 46 games, dominated the award ceremony. Jamil Warney was named the top scorer, unanimously won the foreign player MVP, and achieved a triple crown with the Best 5. An Young-jun secured the domestic player MVP and was a two-time winner in the Best 5. Head coach Jeon Hee-chul received the second coach's award.

The Best 5 also featured An Young-jun, Kim Sun-hyung, and Warney from SK, sweeping the awards. The other two spots were filled by second-place LG, which featured Asem Marey and Carl Tamayo. It was the first time that only two teams dominated the Best 5.

There was a player from another team who was uncomfortable with the awards. It was Spellman, a foreign player from DB. On the 9th, he targeted Kim Sun-hyung, saying in an official KBL social media post announcing the Best 5 awards, "It’s ridiculous that L. Albano isn’t here. I don’t dislike him, but everyone knows who should not be here."

The KBL Best 5 is selected through a poll of reporters. Without distinguishing between the positions of guard, forward, and center, up to two foreign players can vote. Players on the Philippine Asian quota are treated as domestic players. As a result, both Warney and Marey were selected, with Tamayo also winning an award. There was only one guard, Kim Sun-hyung.

Spellman argues that DB's teammate Albano should have been selected over Kim Sun-hyung. Looking at the regular league statistics, Kim Sun-hyung recorded 12.9 points, 3.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.4 steals, a field goal percentage of 46.4%, and a three-point percentage of 31.7%. In contrast, Albano slightly outperformed him with 16.7 points, 4 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 1.7 steals, a field goal percentage of 42.3%, and a three-point percentage of 31.7%.

However, basketball is a team sport. DB lost to Jeonggwanjang in the final match and failed to reach the top six. Albano, who led DB to be the regular league champions last season, was awarded the MVP. But this season, DB's failure to reach the top six significantly reduced Albano's score, and he ended up without any awards.

In the NBA, when selecting the All-NBA team, individual records and skills are prioritized over team performance. However, the selection criteria in KBL are somewhat different. There is a tendency among reporters to not acknowledge personal records if team performance does not support them. Therefore, Spellman's perspective may differ.

This reporter also participated in the voting process. I selected Kim Sun-hyung for the Best 5 and did not include Albano at all. The reason was as stated above. No matter how outstanding Albano's individual skills are, a leader from a seventh-place team cannot be part of the Best 5.

In the strong SK team, it is natural for individual records to be lower compared to other teams. It would be strange if Kim Sun-hyung, who finished second in domestic player MVP voting after An Young-jun, did not make the Best 5.

Most basketball fans are negative about Spellman's comments. Fans criticized, "Can’t you just respect Kim Sun-hyung and congratulate him?" and "Do you really have to say such things on an award day?" Some called Spellman a loser.

In response, Spellman harshly remarked, "I also like Kim Sun-hyung. Just not the one from 2023. I am not a loser, I’m a champion," and he engaged in a verbal battle with fans.

Spellman missed the final two matches of the regular league due to a shin injury, which was a crucial moment for DB in the battle for the top six. Chinanu Onuaku, who faced controversies over his work ethic throughout the season, scored only 8 points in the final match. Ultimately, DB lost to Jeonggwanjang 67-78 and failed to advance to the playoffs.

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