The players who combined to win Asian Games gold will now face each other as opponents on the court.
Coaches from all six clubs and 12 representative players gathered at Hotel Riviera Cheongdam in Seoul's Gangnam district on the 27th for the KB Star Banking 2026-2027 Women's Korean Basketball League media day, where they laid out their goals for the new season.
The main talking point was the regular-season matchups between players who have gone from national team teammates to rivals. Kang E-seul of Woori Bank, who captained the national team at the Asian Games, singled out Lee Hae-ran of Samsung Life Insurance as the player she is most wary of. "I saw her growing from last season, and she leveled up even further through this Asian Games," Kang said, firing the first shot. "Hae-ran is the one I'm most watching out for."
Lee fired back with confidence. "I'm grateful that she's keeping an eye on me. Even with a lot of attention on me, I'll play with confidence and overcome it," she said. "My name wasn't on the list of MVP candidates picked by the media and fans, but beating the odds is what competition is all about. I'll show a turnaround on the court."
Lee So-hee of BNK Sum, who played as a key guard for the national team, also set out her ambitions. "Playing on a big stage gave me confidence, and my offense has gotten stronger," she said. "I'll carry the form I showed at the Asian Games straight into the regular season."
The official season opener tips off at 4 p.m. on Nov. 1 at Cheongju Gymnasium, where Cheongju KB faces Busan BNK.