Lee Sang-min (born 11 November 1972) is a South Korean retired professional basketball player and basketball coach. He was part of the team at the 1994 Asian Games, 1996 Summer Olympics, 1998 Asian Games and 2002 Asian Games.[1]
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | November 11, 1972 South Korea | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | South Korean | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 183 cm (6 ft 0 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College | Yonsei University | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing career | 1994–2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Point guard | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coaching career | 2011–2022 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| As player: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1995–2007 | Hyundai / Daejeon Hyundai Dynat / Daejeon Hyundai Gullivers / Jeonju KCC Egis | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1995–1997 | → Sangmu (military service) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2010 | Seoul Samsung Thunders | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| As coach: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2022 | Seoul Samsung Thunders | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medals
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| Lee Sang-min | |
| Hangul | 이상민 |
|---|---|
| Hanja | 李相旼 |
| Revised Romanization | I Sang-min |
| McCune–Reischauer | I Sangmin |
Early years
editLee enjoyed playing various sports from a young age and began focusing on basketball in high school.[2] He attended Hongik University High School in Seoul.[3]
Playing career
editLee went on to Yonsei University and graduated with a degree in business.[4] His time at Yonsei coincided with what is often retrospectively dubbed the "golden era" of domestic college basketball. He and his teammates, as well as their counterparts from traditional athletic rivals Korea University, enjoyed a level of popularity similar to that of idol singers and A-list actors/actresses due to their skills and good looks. Together with his Yonsei teammates Moon Kyung-eun and Woo Ji-won and Korea University's Hyun Joo-yup and Chun Hee-chul, among others, they were collectively dubbed "Oppa Troupe" (오빠부대) by the media.[5][6][7]
After graduating in February 1995, Lee signed with the Daejeon-based semi-professional team of Hyundai, which was later taken over by its affiliate KCC Corporation and is now Jeonju KCC Egis.[8] Two months later, he chose to enlist for mandatory military service in order to "get it over with" and was assigned to the Sangmu team.[9][2] While playing for the Sangmu team, he became the first domestic player to score a triple-double. He achieved it during a game against SBS in the National Basketball Festival, then the main basketball competition of the semi-professional era.[2]
By the time Lee was discharged in 1997, the professional league had just been established.[10] He played a pivotal role in Hyundai's dominance, winning the regular season title and KBL Championship in 1998 and 1999. During the early years of the KBL, he formed an offensive triumvirate with forward Choo Seung-gyun and swingman Cho Sung-won, known collectively as the "Lee-Cho-Choo trio"; Choo and Cho were known for their shooting skills and prowess around the perimeter while Lee provided the assists and passes.[11] Later in his career, he developed the defensive facet of his game and gained a reputation as a "dual threat" point guard who contributed both offensively and defensively. By his last season as a player, he had recorded 173 blocks in over 500 games, the highest-ranked guard among domestic players in the category and despite being at least 10 cm shorter than the average forward and center.[12]
Lee retired at the end of the 2009-10 season, along with Woo and Moon. Their jersey numbers were retired by their respective clubs. Lee's number 10 jersey was retired by Jeonju KCC Egis.[13]
National team
editLee was a member of the gold medal winning team at the 2002 Asian Games. During the semi-final against the Philippines, he attempted a three-pointer in the last minute of the game with the score at 66–68 and scored to win the game 69–68.[2][14] South Korea won its first gold medal in basketball in twenty years.[2]
Coaching career
editLee returned to Seoul Samsung Thunders in 2012 as a member of the coaching staff. He became head coach ahead of the 2014-15 season.[15]
In January 2022, he announced his resignation and his assistant Lee Kyu-sup was named acting head coach for the remainder of the season. His resignation was announced in light of the team's poor results and two players being charged with drunk driving in the space of nine months.[16]
References
edit- ^ "Lee Sang-Min". sports-reference. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
- ^ a b c d e ""상민이 오빠, 안녕!"". The Dong-a Ilbo (in Korean). May 3, 2010.
- ^ "터보 가드 vs 천재 가드… 감독으로 재격돌". The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). April 21, 2017.
- ^ "현대 다이냇 농구선수 이상민 동문 (95년 경영학과 마침)". Yonsei Chunchu (in Korean). Yonsei University. May 10, 1995.
- ^ "[스포츠 특별기획] 원조 '오빠부대장' 문경은-이상민은 올해도 전쟁 중". J Magazine (in Korean). joins.com. October 17, 2020.
- ^ "문경은·우지원 등 오빠들이 돌아왔다". JoongAng Ilbo (in Korean). November 4, 2003.
- ^ "[솔직토크] '은퇴하는 세 거물' 문경은-이상민-우지원". The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). May 19, 2010.
- ^ "<체육단신>연세대 이상민 현대 입단". JoongAng Ilbo (in Korean). February 19, 1994.
- ^ "이상민.문경은 상무 입단". JoongAng Ilbo (in Korean). April 1, 1995.
- ^ "[가을 농구코트] 이상민-조성원등 10명 전역…새 판도". The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). June 18, 1997.
- ^ "'허동택'-'이조추' — 추억의 트리오 대결". The Hankyoreh (in Korean). January 24, 2013.
- ^ "<프로농구> 이색 기록 많네..가드가 블록슛 3위". Yonhap News Agency (in Korean). October 16, 2009.
- ^ "이상민 11번·우지원 10번·문경은 10번, 코트의 전설로…". The Dong-a Ilbo (in Korean). October 15, 2010.
- ^ "Remember Lee Sang Min? Korean great who broke Pinoys' hearts in 2002 Asiad watches PBA game largely unnoticed". Spin.ph. June 15, 2013.
- ^ "삼성, 이상민 감독 발탁 "우승 이끌 적임자"" (in Korean). KBS. April 13, 2014.
- ^ "'최하위·선수 음주운전' 프로농구 서울 삼성 이상민 감독 사임". The Hankyoreh (in Korean). January 26, 2022.
External links
edit- Career Statistics from the Korean Basketball League website (in Korean)