Seo Jang-hoon will return to the court as the director of the SBS basketball entertainment program. This is a position that only he, a basketball legend and trusted entertainer, can occupy.
The new SBS show 'Passionate Basketball Team' is not just an entertainment program; it is a global project on the scale of 'national team level'. Seo Jang-hoon will become the director and form a celebrity basketball team that will play an international friendly match against a celebrity basketball team representing the Philippines. The venue is not a gymnasium, but the 'Mall of Asia Arena' located in Manila, Philippines, the largest indoor arena in Asia.
Seo Jang-hoon will appear as the director within the program, leading domestic celebrity members, while carrying out meticulous strategies and practical training. His passion for basketball, along with moments of laughter and emotion, will be revealed through SBS entertainment. The climax will be a showdown with a celebrity basketball team in the Philippines. This match, which will serve as a bridge for Korean-Philippine sports culture beyond simple exchange, is already capturing the attention of the industry and fans for its symbolism and buzz.
The Mall of Asia Arena (MOA Arena) is a massive indoor arena with a capacity of about 15,000 seats, known as a global landmark where top K-pop artists like BLACKPINK, BTS, and EXO have performed. Given that it is a 'dream stage' experienced only a few times by the Korean national team, the significance of this project is even more special.
The Philippines is a country with a passionate basketball culture, often described as having 'basketball is a religion' enthusiasm. Basketball courts are located throughout the streets, and the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) is Asia's first professional league, maintaining popularity for decades. This friendly match between Korean and Philippine celebrities is seen as an important milestone demonstrating the global expansion potential of K-basketball content beyond a simple event.
The reason this project is generating more expectations is due to the name value of 'Seo Jang-hoon.' During his playing career, he was a 'national treasure-level center' in Korean basketball, recording 13,231 points and 5,235 rebounds, positioning himself as the all-time leader in points and rebounds in the Korean Basketball League (KBL). He was awarded the regular league MVP in the 1998-99 season and the finals MVP in 2001, leading the national team to a gold medal at the 1994 Hiroshima Asian Games and a silver at the 2002 Busan Asian Games, representing the golden era of Korean basketball. Even after retirement, he remains a symbol of honor, still referred to as a 'basketball legend.'
Additionally, Seo Jang-hoon has continued to excel as an entertainer, consistently performing at a 'top-class' level. Gaining viewer sympathy with his candid talk and sharp reality advice on major entertainment shows like 'My Little Old Boy,' 'Knowing Bros,' 'Ask Us Anything Fortune Teller,' and others, Seo Jang-hoon is now regarded as one of the representative sports stars who have succeeded in entertainment in Korea.
A program official noted, 'The fact that Seo Jang-hoon, a symbolic figure in K-basketball, is forming a team with entertainers and competing in a world-class arena in the Philippines, where the love for basketball runs deep, is already full of symbolism and buzz,' adding, 'We hope this program will transform K-basketball into cultural content beyond just a sport.'
There is already anticipation about how the legendary basketball player and broadcaster Seo Jang-hoon will bring emotion and laughter to the basketball entertainment program.
[Photo] OSEN DB, SBS
[OSEN]