“hello. They are a champion couple.”
Bae Byeong-jun (33), a guard of KGC Ginseng Corporation in Anyang, and Go A-ra (35), a forward of Asan Woori Bank, women’s basketball, walked hand in hand and said with a smile. The two met in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul on the 9th and handed over a wedding invitation with a shy expression. The two will marry in Seoul on the 13th.
Marriage between active professional basketball players is also a rare case,토스카지노 but it is even more unusual for a prospective couple to win a combined championship sweeping the regular league and championship match side by side in the same season. Go Ara laughed, saying, “I’ll have to look for examples from other countries, but maybe it’s the first time in the world that a ‘couple’s joint championship’ in basketball is the first in the world.” Bae Byung-joon, who became the first Korean male player to win the combined championship for two consecutive seasons (last season with Seoul SK), said, “It is more valuable to win together as a couple than that.”
Bae Byung-jun and Go A-ra’s wedding photo. The two have the same hobby: collecting basketball shoes. photo bae byungjun
In Game 7 of the championship game against SK on the 7th, Bae Byung-Jun scored 16 points, including 4 3-pointers at every turn, laying the foundation for a come-from-behind victory. In March, two months ago, Go A-ra of Woori Bank first won the combined championship. Go Ara, who recorded 18 points and 10 rebounds in the second game of the playoffs (PO) against Shinhan Bank, tasted her first win after 17 years of debut. Both of them performed like Altoran in PO as ‘Six Man’.
Go A-ra, who was on a trip to Hawaii with her colleagues to commemorate the Woori Bank victory, returned home midway on the day of the 7th game of the Men’s Basketball Championship. As soon as I got off at Incheon Airport, I took a taxi and arrived at Anyang Gymnasium just as the 3rd quarter had just started. Bae Byung-joon said, “After checking his girlfriend who appeared in the audience, he gained more strength.” Bae Byeong-jun also shared the moment Go Ara won at the Sajik Gymnasium in Busan last March. Go Ara said, “I mustered up the courage to call KGC coach Kim Sang-shik. Even though it was the day before the game, Byung-jun allowed me to come to Busan. It’s like they became ‘victory fairies’ for each other.”
Go Ara is blocking Bae Byeong-jun (left) from dribbling. Reporter Kim Jong-ho
It was forward Choi Jun-yong (29), who was Bae Byung-joon’s SK roommate, who brought the couple together. Bae Byung-jun said, “Jun-yong introduced me in the summer of 2021, saying, ‘There are good people. He played a mobile survival shooting game a week before we met, and his ‘older sister’ covered and protected me. When I met her in person, she was tall and pretty. He fell in love at first sight and asked me to date the same day we met.” Then, Go Ara laughed and said, “I can’t eat sashimi, but I booked a sushi restaurant. His shooting form is also really pretty.” The two nicknamed each other ‘Aling (Go Ara + Darling)’ and ‘Bae Bang (Bae Byeong-jun’s nickname)’.
Go Ara, who has almost no cartilage due to a chronic knee injury, broke off free agent negotiations with Hana 1Q last year. Go Ara said, “I was very frustrated on the day of the negotiation, but Byeong-jun, who was waiting at another table in the cafe, said, ‘Even if you quit, I will feed you.’” In fact, Go Ara, who signed a contract with Woori Bank after being released, recorded 36.5% of 3-point shooting success rate, the highest in the last 10 seasons. Shooter Bae Byung-jun, who has a 39.2% 3-point shooting success rate this season, advised, “Let’s increase the RBI.” Go Ara laughed, saying, “I thought, ‘I am Bae Byeong-jun,’ and it went well.”
KGC Bae Byeong-jun (left) holds a basketball and poses to propose to Woori Bank Go A-ra, a bride-to-be. Reporter Kim Jong-ho
What the two have in common is that they had the best season this spring after playing for several teams. Bae Byeong-jun said, “I learned the ‘why not’ attitude from (Choi) Jun-yong.” Go Ara said, “Jeon Ju-won, a coach at Woori Bank, who is called ‘JJ Rehabilitation Center’, gave me advice on injuries, which was a big help.”
After finishing this season, both of them obtained FA status. The bride-to-be, Go Ara, last month ended the contract renewal (two years) with Woori Bank. Bae Byeong-joon, who is receiving attention from various teams, said, “I try to listen carefully to my ‘sister’ regarding the FA contract. The newlyweds will try to decide once the team is confirmed. He plans to display the championship ring in the newlyweds’ house,” he said. Ara Go said, “When a 2-year-old is born, I want him to inherit the strengths of his mother and father and become a guard about 2m tall. From a young age, I will show an NBA (American Professional Basketball) game instead of ‘Baby Shark’,” he laughed.