DONGGUAN (China) - Another team from the East is joining the party.
Busan BNK Sum are all set to compete in the upcoming FIBA WBL Asia 2025 as Korea, long regarded as one of the top basketball nations in the continent, will finally be taking part in the prestigious club competition.
Qualifying path
And Busan, no doubt, are coming in to make noise in their debut, looking to make this year all the more memorable by copping another championship after ruling the 2024-25 Women's Korean Basketball League (WKBL).
The crew ascended to the throne of Korea's top-flight women's league by sweeping Woori Bank in the best-of-5 Finals, completing arguably one of the most impressive turnarounds that the league has seen.
In the season prior, Busan finished dead last with only a 6-24 record. But key acquisitions of Sonia Kim and Park Hyejin during the offseason proved to be crucial as it ultimately enabled the club to finally succeed.
Months later and they'd be ousting the defending champions in the titular bout - a result that also gave themselves a measure of revenge as Busan suffered a crushing sweep at Woori Bank's hands in the 2022-23 finale.
Team history
It was their first-ever league tiara, ending a wait that lasted for six long years or since the team's founding in 2019, when the BNK Financial Group acquired OK Savings Bank and put up a team based in Busan.
The club would gradually rise as a playoff contender, eventually breaking through last March. And that success has also paved the way for their inclusion to this year's WBL Asia as the tilt expanded the field to six teams.
Players to watch
As mentioned, Kim - whom some fans may recognize as part of the Romania women's team in FIBA competitions in the past - served as a major piece to the Busan BNK puzzle and her numbers should speak for itself.
Last season, the 32-year-old combo guard led the team in scoring and rebounding with 16.5 points and 9.5 rebounds during the regular season before tallying 12.3 PPG and 9.0 RPG during the Play-Offs.
But of course, it's not just her who made things possible. Park, for her part, provided solid inside presence as evidenced by pretty good numbers of 9.38 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 3.0 assists during the regular season.
And lest we forget that it was also Park who hit one of the most important shots of her career - the eventual game-winning trifecta toward a 55-54 victory to complete their sweep of Woori Bank in Game 3.
Then there's also spitfire guard An Heji, who went on to win Finals MVP honors. It was a solid Play-Offs for her all in all, as she netted 10.1 points, 2.8 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and almost a steal in eight outings.
Busan BNK Sum are in Group B with WJBL champions and 2024 bronze winners Fujitsu Red Wave and Al Ula Club of Saudi Arabia. To know more about their upcoming campaign in the WBL Asia 2025, click here.
FIBA