KBL Rookie of the Year Award

The Korean Basketball League Rookie of the Year Award (Korean: 신인선수상) is an annual Korean Basketball League (KBL) award given since 1998 to the best performing rookie player. Both foreign and domestic players who meet the criteria are eligible to be nominated for the award.

Eligibility

Domestic players must be in their first two seasons and have played at least 50% of the 54 league games. Foreign players with experience in overseas leagues may be considered for nomination but must have less than a year of playing experience in a professional team.[1]

History

From the 1997–98 season to the 2011–12 seasons, the KBL rookie draft took place in January or February, towards the end of the season. Rookies only began their first season with a professional team in October of the same calendar year, when the KBL season began. The draft was eventually moved closer to the beginning of the professional season.

In terms of award eligibility, the term "rookie" (Korean: 신인) previously only applied to players in their first year as a professional. With the rise of foreign import players and increasing competition among domestic players for spots on the first team, concerns arose over the fact that few first-year players clocked up enough playing time to qualify for the award and players who were only able to break into the first team during their second or third year as a professional. Prior to the 2020–21 season, the KBL announced that eligibility for the award would be extended to players in their first two years and foreign players.[1][2]

Winners
^ Denotes player who is still active in the KBL
† Denotes player whose team won the KBL Championship that year
Player
(in italic text)		 Denotes player who has also won the KBL Most Valuable Player Award
Team (X) Denotes the number of times a player from this team had won at that time
Season Player Position Team
1997–98[nb 1] Joo Hee-jung Guard Wonju Naray Blue Bird
1998–99 Shin Ki-sung Guard Wonju Naray Blue Bird (2)
1999–00 Kim Sung-chul Forward Anyang SBS Stars
2000–01† Lee Kyu-sup Forward Suwon Samsung Thunders
2001–02† Kim Seung-hyun Guard Daegu Tongyang Orions
2002–03† Kim Joo-sung Forward Wonju TG Xers (3)
2003–04 Lee Hyun-ho Forward Seoul Samsung Thunders (2)
2004–05 Yang Dong-geun Guard Ulsan Mobis Phoebus
2005–06 Bang Seung-yoon Forward Seoul SK Knights
2006–07 Lee Hyun-min Guard Changwon LG Sakers
2007–08 Kim Tae-sul Guard Seoul SK Knights (2)
2008–09† Ha Seung-jin Center Jeonju KCC Egis
2009–10 Park Sung-jin Guard Incheon Electroland Elephants
2010–11 Park Chan-hee^ Guard Anyang KGC (2)
2011–12† Oh Se-keun^ Center Anyang KGC (3)
2012–13 Choi Boo-kyung^ Forward Seoul SK Knights (3)
2013–14 Kim Jong-kyu^ Center Changwon LG Sakers (2)
2014–15 Lee Seoung-hyun^ Forward Goyang Orions (2)
2015–16 Jung Seong-woo^ Guard Changwon LG Sakers (3)
2016–17 Kang Sang-jae^ Forward Incheon Electroland Elephants (2)
2017–18† Ahn Young-joon^ Forward Seoul SK Knights (4)
2018–19 Byeon Jun-hyung^ Guard Anyang KGC (4)
2019–20[nb 2] Kim Hoon^ Forward Wonju DB Promy (4)
2020–21 Oh Jae-hyun^ Guard Seoul SK Knights (5)
2021-22 Lee Woo-suk^ Guard Ulsan Hyundai Mobis Phoebus (2)
2022-23 RJ Abarrientos^[4] Guard Ulsan Hyundai Mobis Phoebus (3)

Teams
Awards Teams Years
5 Cheongju / Seoul SK Knights 2006, 2008, 2013, 2018, 2021
4 Wonju DB Promy[nb 3] 1998, 1999, 2003, 2000
Anyang KT&G / KGC[nb 4] 2000, 2011, 2012, 2019
3 Changwon LG Sakers 2007, 2014, 2016
Ulsan Hyundai Mobis Phoebus[nb 5] 2005, 2022, 2023
2 Suwon / Seoul Samsung Thunders 2001, 2004
Goyang Carrot Jumpers[nb 6] 2002, 2015
Daegu KOGAS Pegasus[nb 7] 2010, 2017

Of the ten KBL teams, Suwon KT Sonicboom and its predecessors is the only team who has not produced a Rookie of the Year Award winner.

Notes
  1. Prior to the founding of the professional Korean Basketball League, the predecessor National Basketball Festival (농구대잔치) ended its final season in January 1997. The first season of the KBL began play in February 1997 to facilitate the transition and all registered players had already been on the roster from the amateur era. The 1997–98 season was the first full season played with rookie players drafted from college teams.
  2. The league was canceled in the middle of the fifth round of the regular season, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The playoffs were also canceled as a result.[3]
  3. Formerly Wonju TG Sambo Xers and Wonju Dongbu Promy
  4. Formerly Anyang SBS Stars
  5. Formerly Busan Kia Enterprise and Ulsan Mobis Phoebus
  6. Formerly Daegu Tongyang Orions, Daegu Orions and Goyang Orion Orions
  7. Formerly Incheon Electroland Elephants

References
  1. "프로농구 신인상 자격 기준, 2년차 선수까지 확대". Yonhap News Agency (in Korean). September 28, 2020.
  2. "[D리그] '프로 2년 차' SK 김형빈 "신인왕 경쟁은..."". Rookie (in Korean). December 16, 2020.
  3. "프로농구, 출범 23년 만에 첫 시즌 조기 종료…SK·DB 공동 1위(종합)". Yonhap News Agency (in Korean). March 24, 2020.
  4. Lance Agcaoili (March 30, 2023). "RJ Abarrientos wins Korean Basketball League Rookie of Year honors". Inquirer.net. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
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