BENGALURU (India) - Giving Korea another medal is surely the goal of Cheongju KB Stars as they duke it out with some of the continent's best in the upcoming FIBA Women's Basketball League Asia (WBL Asia) 2026.
Team history
They'd be the second Korean ball club to compete in the prestigious tilt after Busan BNK Sum last year, and they're carrying with them a rich legacy being one of the country's oldest basketball organizations.
The Stars were founded in 1963 as the Kookmin Bank Women's Basketball Club, and would undergo multiple rebrands before becoming the team that it is now back in 2011 when they transferred from Cheonan.
But it wasn't until the 2018-19 season where Cheongju would finally taste success, capturing their first-ever Women's Korean Basketball League championship by sweeping the Yongin Samsung Life Blueminx.
Path to WBL Asia 2026
It would be the first of three titles, actually, collecting their latest during the 2025-26 season by blanking the Blue Minx once again in the best-of-5 series - a win that's somehow poetic considering the history they shared.
Furthermore, it was a dominant Play-Off run overall for the Stars. After clinching the top spot of the elimination round with a 20-10 record, they would go on to win their next six games on the way to the trophy.
Because prior to beating a familiar foe in Yongin, they swept the Asan Woori Bank Woori Won - the most successful team in WKBL history with a record 13 championships - in the best-of-5 Semi-Finals.
Players to watch
Heo Ye-eun starred for the Stars in their title conquest and went on to bag home Championship MVP honors behind per-game averages of 16 points on 47.37-percent shooting from beyond the arc and 5.67 assists.
Her steady play as the team's floor general enabled the team to complete the sweep even without Park Jisu due to an injury and she shall be assuming the same role here in WBL Asia with the star center still recovering.
They did bring in some help with the addition of E'anna Palacios Won, the 5th overall pick of the recent WKBL Draft, and Japanese guard Sara Sakai as Cheongju are hoping to emulate or better Busan's 2025 run.
With Lee Sohee and Sonia Kim showing the way, Busan came from behind to beat the Ulaanbaatar Amazons, 79-74, and secure a third-place finish, giving Korea a medal right in their first foray in WBL Asia.
The Stars would definitely want to be on the podium as well.
Schedule
FIBA