“I Will Start Afresh Letting Bygones Be Bygones”

On April 10 “Basketball Genius” Huh Jae, 39, TG, finished his 30-year career as a basketball player with his seventh championship match against KCC. In a farewell ceremony before the match, Huh Jae’s number was retired. During the ceremony, Huh Jae said, “As ten fingers constitute a hand, number ten means the perfection. My back number, nine, indicates that something needs to be done for the missing one.”

As one of the best five players on TG today, Huh Jah exerted all his strength to win the championship title to no avail. When victory swung toward KCC at the end of the game, Huh Jae left the court just before the match was over and took a deep breath in the locker room that seemed to reflect his disappointment over the final score.

Upon receiving a farewell shoulder-high hoist from juniors on the team as they regretfully said their good-byes, Huh Jae smiled widely.

“I was very disappointed that my retirement seemed to be filled with the defeat of my team. But the past is just the past. I will start afresh, clearing my memory of the past,” said Huh Jae.

Huh Jae started his basketball career in the fourth year of elementary school in 1975, and has remained with the sport until forty. After playing his final game in a match in which almost every star player of the Korean basketball world will be appear this month, Huh Jae will begin his career as a basketball coach by going overseas to delve into the advanced tactics and game strategies in one of the NBA or NCAA basketball teams. Huh Jae, who is known for his unique charisma, has expressed his desire to be a leader who reflects brotherhood, rather than dignity and authority.

We are looking forward to Huh Jae’s comeback to fill the void that his retirement as a player has left in the basketball world.

Jong-Seok Kim kjs0123@donga.com