Moon Yu-hyeon makes long-awaited pro debut

“Super rookie” Moon Yu-hyeon, 22, of Jeonggwanjang finally made his long-awaited professional debut. Moon logged his first career appearance on Jan. 1, entering the game in place of Kim Young-hyun, 35, with three minutes and five seconds left in the first quarter of Jeonggwanjang’s Korea Basketball League road contest against SK at Jamsil Student Gymnasium in Seoul. In 20 minutes and 44 seconds on the floor, Moon scored eight points while adding three rebounds, six assists and two steals, playing a key role in Jeonggwanjang’s 71-65 victory.

Moon, the younger brother of KT guard Moon Jung-hyun, 25, built his reputation as one of the country’s top prospects during his college career. As a sophomore at Korea University, he won the men’s Most Valuable Player award in the University Basketball U-League in back-to-back seasons. He later declared early for the 2025-26 rookie draft and was selected first overall. Under KBL rules, rookies this season were eligible to take the court only after all 10 teams had played 17 games. Moon’s debut was further delayed, however, as a hamstring injury sidelined him until each team had completed 25 games.

“I spent that time pushing myself and studying what I needed to do on the court,” Moon said. “Seeing the other players from my draft class perform so well did create some pressure, but I was confident I could do even better once I got my chance.” He added that his debut performance reflected only about 30 percent of his ability. “There are still many games left, and I believe I can continue to improve,” he said. Moon also expressed gratitude to fans, saying he was deeply thankful, beyond words, to those who waited, and promised to stay healthy and repay their support on the court.

While Moon’s debut was delayed, the rookie who captured the most attention was Yang Woo-hyuk, 18, of Korea Gas Corporation. Yang, who is set to graduate from Samil High School, made his professional debut on Dec. 4 in Changwon against LG. He became the second-youngest player in KBL history to appear in a game, doing so at 18 years, seven months and one day. Two days later, Yang earned a starting nod against Jeonggwanjang and scored 16 points, establishing league records as both the youngest player to start a game and the youngest to record a double-digit scoring performance. As of the New Year’s Day matchup against Goyang Sono, Yang is averaging 8.5 points, 1.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists.

Other rookies also drawing notice this season include Eddie Daniel, 19, of SK, who was born to a British father and a Korean mother, and Kang Sung-wook, 21, of KT, the son of former Dongbu coach Kang Dong-hee. Daniel, a senior at Yongsan High School in Seoul, made history as the first homegrown player to sign directly with a professional team after opting to join SK instead of attending college, and has been praised for his defensive ability. Kang, who has stepped in as the starting point guard in place of the injured Kim Sun-hyung, 27, has earned favorable evaluations for his ball-handling skills.


조영우 jero@donga.com