"With regard to special naturalized player Ra Gun-ah, we have decided to abide by the KBL's rules on foreign players starting from the 2024-2025 season," the KBL said at a board meeting on Thursday. As a result, it has become impossible for Ra Gun-ah to play in the KBL as a Korean player.

 

Ra Gun-ah acquired Korean nationality through a special naturalization program back in 2018. He has played for the national team for the past six years, including the 2019 Basketball World Cup. However, the KBL has treated him as a foreign player for fear of a power imbalance between the teams.

 

Ra Gun-ah's contract with the Korea Basketball Association ends on May 31. Ra Gun-ah has effectively retired from the national team.

 

Ra Gun-ah is comparable to Nick Pazekas, 39, who retired this year after 12 years of playing in the Japanese pro basketball league. Pazekas, who had been an American citizen and played in the NBA, joined the Kawasaki Japanese pro basketball league as a foreign player in 2012. He has displayed outstanding performance to the extent that he has won two times in the Japanese pro basketball league (14 and 16), three times in the Player of the Year (14 and 15 and 17), and two times in the Finals MVP (14 and 16).

 

The Japan Basketball Association naturalized Pazekas to strengthen the national team's power ahead of the 2019 World Cup in China. Pazekas, wearing a uniform for the Japanese national team, helped Japan defeat its first European team, Germany. He also had the honor of representing Japan at the Tokyo Olympics.  스포츠토토 사이트 추천

 

After Pazekas became a naturalized Japanese player, Kawasaki added three more foreign players for the season. In Japan, where there are many naturalized players, Pazekas' status was not a big problem.

 

The Japanese professional basketball team even gave Pazekas a "retirement tour" in which each team gave him a gift in the last game when he retired. This is how much he believed he had a positive influence on the Japanese basketball community.

 

Pazekas said, "It was the second best decision for me to come to Japan. I played in Japan for 12 years. I have played basketball all my life, but now I will let go of the ball. I will miss the days when I played in Japan." Japanese fans also applauded his dedication.

 

On the other hand, Ra Gun-ah elevated KCC to the top of professional basketball league last season but there is no guarantee that he will be able to play in Korea next season. If Ra Gun-ah fails to sign a KBL contract, she is considering entering other leagues including Japan. If Ra Gun-ah moves to another league like this, Korean fans are letting him go without even being able to greet him properly, having played in the KBL for 12 years.