Heo Woong vs. Heo Hoon – first battle of brothers this season

Two sons of South Korea’s basketball legend Heo Jae – Heo Woong (28, DB) and Heo Hoon (26, KT) – are famous for their outstanding performance on the court and charming looks, which make them no different than any other gorgeous star in a boy band. At this year’s season of the Korean Basketball League (KBL), all eyes are on the two brothers who will compete against each other for the first time.

DB with Heo Woong and KT with Heo Hoon have an upcoming match on Saturday at Wonju Jonghab Gymnasium. Partly thanks to a growing popularity of their father, a former basketball player and head coach of the national basketball team who turned into an entertainment show celebrity, the match of the brothers sold all 2,000 tickets early.

The two brothers are expected to fight one-on-one frequently during the game where Heo Woong plays a shooting guard and Heo Hoon is a point guard. As they often chat over the phone just as typical brothers do, they do not hide their determination to beat up each other. 　

Both of them seem to be at their peak this season. As of now, Heo Woong scores the most points with an average of 17.4 points per match. Earning 39 points in a game against LG last Wednesday, he recorded 29 points against KGC last Sunday to play a leading role in clutch performance. Recovering from an ankle injury in the second round of the season, Heo Hoon also leaves a strong impression on the offense with an average of 15.2 points per game (4th place). In a game against Hyundai Mobis on Monday, he made an explosive record of 16 points only during the second half to help the team win a losing game. Since Heo Hoon came back, KT has won six games running.

As of Saturday, Heo Woong gained as many as 124,275 votes for January’s All-Star Game to rank top – way over the record of 120,354 votes made by Lee Sang-min, the incumbent head coach of Samsung. Heo Hoon ranks 2nd with 100,389 votes. Which one will leave the court with a smile on the face in Wonju – Heo Woong with an explosive potential for shooting and a persistent quality that he got from his father vs. Heo Hoon who comes across as a charming and easy-going player full of passion and energy who reminds us of his father?


Jae-Yeong Yoo elegant@donga.com