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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | (1981-09-14)September 14, 1981 (age 44) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | South Korean | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| High school | Yongsan High School | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College | Hanyang University | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing career | 2004–2020 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Guard | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coaching career | 2021–present | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2020 | Ulsan Hyundai Mobis Phoebus | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2009 | →Sangmu (loan) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Coaching | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021–2025 | Ulsan Hyundai Mobis Phoebus (assistant coach) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2025–present | Ulsan Hyundai Mobis Phoebus | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medals
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Yang Dong-geun (born September 14, 1981) is a South Korean retiredbasketball player forUlsan Mobis Phoebus and theKorean national team, where he participated at the2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup.[1] During his sixteen-year career, he won the KBL Rookie of the Year and was named Most Valuable Player (MVP) in KBL four times.[2] He spent his entire playing career with Ulsan Mobis Phoebus, having been at the forefront of Ulsan's dominance in the league from the early 2000's.[3] Since retiring after the 2019-20 season, he has returned to the team as a coach.
Yang enjoyed playing basketball since his elementary school days. As he had been short compared to his peers, he never considered going professional until he had a late growth spurt and started playing college basketball. He attendedYongsan High School, which is known as a high school basketball powerhouse, but was neither a highly-rated prospect or a regular at that time. One of his contemporaries wasLee Jung-suk, who was a year behind him.[4] He overlooked by the "big three" universities in collegiate basketball:Yonsei University,Korea University andChung-Ang University.[3][5]
Yang was recruited byHanyang University despite not being a regular in high school.[3][6] At that time, Hanyang was not a particularly well-known basketball program and was better known for its baseball team. His close friend and future professional rivalCho Sung-min would join him two years later.[4][7]
During his senior year, Yang led Hanyang to a runner-up finish at the MBC Cup. He was then thrust into the spotlight for leading Hanyang to a 96-91 upset against Yonsei in the National Basketball Festival (농구대잔치), the other main collegiate competition. Yonsei had been on a 39-game winning streak in the tournament and boasted a star-studded team which includedHa Seung-jin,Kim Tae-sul andYang Hee-jong.[8] Although Hanyang finished third, Yang ranked first in assists in the competition.[4]
During the 2004KBL rookie draft, Yang made history by becoming the first player not from a "big three" college basketball program to be drafted first in the first round.[9][10] He was selected byJeonju KCC Egis, who had the first overall pick, but was immediately traded toUlsan Mobis Phoebus in exchange for two players.[11] There were initial doubts as he was considered short by KBL standards but he established himself as an integral member of the team due to his physicality and accurate shooting and passing. In his debut game, a loss toSeoul Samsung Thunders, he scored 13 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists despite having a distinct height disadvantage.[4] He averaged 11.5 points and 6.1 assists and was named KBL Rookie of the Year.[5][12]
Yang formed a tandem with foreign recruitChris Williams and led Ulsan Mobis Phoebus to the 2007 Championship, his first title.[13] During the final, they faced aBusan KTF Magic Wings which hadCho Sung-min andShin Ki-sung and won four out of seven games in a tightly-contested race. He averaged 19.1 points, 3.4 rebounds and 7.3 assists during the playoffs and was named Playoffs MVP.[14]
In May 2007, a week after his wedding and the playoffs, Yang enlisted formandatory military service.[13] He enlisted together with Cho and they were assigned to theSangmu team after completing basic training.[15][7]
Yang declared his interest in coaching after retiring as a player and went sent to the United States for a training course. He returned to Ulsan Hyundai Mobis Phoebus as a coach underYoo Jae-hak from the 2021–22 season onwards.[16]
Yang married his college classmate Kim Jung-mi in 2007 after a seven-year courtship.[17] They have a son and a daughter.[18]
Yang is an avid baseball fan and is best friends withLee Bum-ho. He was at Lee's retirement game in 2019.[19]
Yang shares the same name, written with the exact sameHanja characters, asan actor and hip hop artist who is two years older than him. The older Yang is known as an avid basketball fan and posted a retirement tribute on his Instagram to the basketball player quipping that his life as an actor just got started at age forty while a professional athlete's life ended at the same age.[20]
South Korea National Basketball Team | |||||||||||||||||||
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