Hairstyles Of Korea’s Basketball Players

SK Knights new forward Josh Cline-Heard is currently in the spotlight for his unique Mohawk haircut. Before landing in Korea, the 28-year-old decided to wear his hair in a Mohawk to make a powerful impression on Korean fans.

Before he joined SK Knights, he played in the Turkish League.

Cline-Heard, whose father was a former NBA coach, is just the kind of player SK was looking for. The team is seeking to offer “spo-tainment,” a combination of sports and entertainment.

There are many other professional basketball players, like Cline-Heard, who make themselves known to fans with unique hairdos while playing on the court.

Another SK Knights player, Bang Seong-yun, drew much attention when he appeared on the court several times with a hip-hop reggae hairdo last season. Unfortunately, the team lost every time he wore his unique hairdo. Although he decided to introduce diverse hairdos on court this season despite the jinx, he will not be playing for a while due to an injury.

Professional female basketball player Jeong Mi-ran of Kumho Life has worn a “lion-look,” with her hair loose like a lion’s mane. Jeong, who has played a pivotal part in saving the team this season from the disgrace of coming in last the past two seasons in a row, said, “My friends say the lion-look works well on me.”

Hairstyles in basketball are not immune from the vicissitudes of fashion. Several years ago, there was a dyeing boom. Hwang Jin-won of KT&G bleached his hair while Song Yeong-jin of KTF wore his hair completely red.

Chu Hee-jeong of KT&G, who was also once red-headed, is wearing straight bangs these days, a style currently popular among middle school girls. The hairdo is just like Chu’s three-year-old daughter’s.

Meanwhile, Dennis Edwards of SBS Stars, famous for his one-handed shots, has kept his braided look, with his hair tied back in thin braids. Derrick Johnson, a former center for TG Sambo, made his fans laugh by braiding his hair in two, just like Pippi Longstocking, a look not expected of such a big man.

In contrast, there are teams whose players shave their heads if the team keeps losing. Therefore, the hairstyles of players can be indicators of how well a team is doing.

kjs0123@donga.com