Someone says he or she is a basketball doctor. Someone says he or she is a basketball doctor. He or she says, "I am less crazy than I was in the past as I am getting older." The truth is right. When basketball is brought up in earnest, the eyes sparkle. When we talk about players who have come here for injury, we have mixed feelings of affection and regret. When we talk about Korean basketball, we have a seriousness. On the other hand, the SK Knights' locker room in Seoul is also a glimpse of their playfulness. I met Kim Jin-soo, a team doctor at SK and chairman of the Korea Basketball Association who has been enjoying basketball for a very long time, and chairman of the Sejong Sports Orthopedic Surgery Department.
※ This article was published in the January issue of Jumpball, a basketball magazine.
Nice to meet you. Please say hello to your Jumpball readers.
I'm a doctor who loves basketball. I've liked basketball since I was a sophomore, so I only studied and played basketball. I was crazy about basketball until my mid-30s (laughs), but now I'm a little less crazy because I'm older.
I'm curious how you got crazy about basketball (laughs).
I first became involved with basketball when I was in elementary school. I was walking down the hall and my physical education teacher told me to go to the gym after class. P.E. teacher told me to go to the gym. They told me to come back tomorrow. I kept calling them (laughs). It was a school with a basketball team, but I added it to the basketball team because I was tall. My mom always comes home late, so ask her. I told her the truth. My mom didn't let me play basketball. Back then, I was happy because I didn't even know what basketball was. My mom rescued me. (laughs)
You were in the basketball team, but you didn't get close to basketball.
I didn't know basketball. I was told to come, so I went, and I was told to run, so I ran. It was boring. I was crazy about basketball in my second year of high school. They gave me a basketball and a soccer ball in my PE class and told me to do my favorite sports. I liked basketball more than soccer. My close friends also liked basketball more. I never took a break from the basketball club from then until my mid-30s. When I served as a military doctor, there was no one to play basketball with, so I stepped up and formed a club.
What made you fall in love with basketball? What did you like so much about it?
I don't know. At first, I think it was good to be with my friends. I was tall but didn't have any skills, so I just did rebound. It was still good. As I played, I learned how to shoot jump shots and went in again. I won a lot of games, and I think it was fun. I played a military doctor at an army hospital, and my hobbies were basketball referee and soccer referee. I went to Myongji University Basketball Coaching Academy. I liked basketball, so I learned refereeing and coaching.
If you're a sophomore in high school, you must have studied a lot. Wasn't it burdensome?
Except for studying time, I only played basketball. My daily life was just studying and playing basketball. Some people asked me when I study because I play basketball for several hours a day, but I'm sure I gained physical strength from playing basketball. To study until dawn, physical strength is important.
Did you choose basketball because you like basketball?
My teacher is Lee Kyung-tae, a professor of foot orthopedic surgery at Eulji Hospital. There were a lot of athletes. If there were too many patients, I saw the doctor. The professor likes soccer and ballet. He didn't like basketball very much. There are many frequent and serious injuries. I came here because my ankle hurts, but there are many cases where my knee and back are bad. Basketball players jump a lot. He's big, but landing under his weight is burdensome.
I'm meeting the players as a team doctor for SK. I think that would be as good as playing basketball.
Good. SK's locker room has a free atmosphere. Feel free to say whatever you want to say. Before the game begins, Jeon says, "Choi (Choi Won-hyuk) tell us." To relax, Jeon tells Choi to tell him what he prepared on the previous day. Actually, the team already prepares for the game before coming to the locker room. Before the game begins, we just check what we prepared again. Jeon just points out the key points when Choi talks (laughs).
There are times when the atmosphere is not good at half-time, right?
Soccer enters the locker room at half-time, but basketball is not allowed. Only coaches, coaches, and players can enter. Soccer is once it is replaced, so you can't go back in, so check your physical condition after the first half. But basketball players can be replaced freely. There is no reason to enter the locker room. Still, I know the atmosphere. If the game is bad, the coach's voice can be heard outside. (laughs) But when the game is over, there is no general review. The idea is to prepare for the game. Evaluation is to prepare for tomorrow, so it's better to check your physical condition and go to rest soon. In that sense, I highly value coach Jeon Hee-chul.
How are the SK players' physical conditions? I don't think key players such as Oh Se-geun and Kim Sun-hyung are normal.
Yes, that's right. Oh Se-geun is not in good shape. He also had a hard time in the playoffs last season because of problems with his Achilles tendon and knee. Currently, he is focusing on rest and rehabilitation. In the team, our top priority is to recover healthy even if it takes time. Kim Sun-hyung also had an injury. He hurt his calf muscle before joining the national team, and he had an injury in the playoffs last season as well. So it was hard to get into shape as usual.
I think the regular players of the national team will have a problem with their bodies.
When you play a season, there are big and small injuries. You need treatment and rehabilitation, but if you make the national team, you don't have enough time. So it just keeps building up. KCC Lee Seung-hyun will also have a sore ankle if he plays now. I had surgery, but I didn't do proper rehabilitation training. He will try to play because he is such a responsible player, but in the opinion of the doctor, he needs more rehabilitation time.
I heard that there are many basketball players who have operated on their own.
I operated on Kim Sun-hyung, Oh Se-geun, and Lee Seung-hyun. SK's Heo Il-young, Choi Boo-kyung, and Choi Won-hyuk also operated on.