“It feels like a hearing, so I am very embarrassed. I was not congratulated on my new start at (Seoul) Samsung, but I will do my best.”
On the 22nd, a press conference was held at the KBL Center in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, where guard Lee Dae-sung (35), a former national team member, joined the professional basketball team in Seoul in a chilly atmosphere.
Unlike other press conferences, tension was high at the press conference where reporters gathered to the extent that the seats were not enough. Lee Dae-sung, who caused controversy and controversy in the process of returning to Korea after a year, also sat down with a firm look on his face.
Lee Dae-sung, who said, “I’m sorry that something big happened in the process of proceeding with the contract,” was asked about the controversy that occurred in the process of returning to Korea and joining Samsung.
On the 21st, Seoul Samsung announced on the club’s official channel that it had signed a two-year contract with Lee Dae-sung for a total of 600 million won in remuneration (420 million won per year, 180 million won in incentives). After a year, the news of suddenly giving up the challenge of the overseas league and signing a U-turn and a contract with Seoul Samsung, not his previous team Daegu Korea Gas Corporation, caused a big stir.
Lee Dae-sung is a player who averaged 18.1 points per game while playing for Korea Gas Corporation until the 2022-23 season, ranking first in scoring as a domestic player for the second consecutive year. Lee Dae-sung expressed his willingness to challenge the overseas league with the value of “growth and challenge” ahead of the opening of last season, and KGC, which respected Lee Dae-sung’s will, released it by “uncontracted” on a grand scale.
At the time, the Korea Gas Corporation supported Lee Dae-sung’s long-term challenge and said, “I think it is a big meaningful and valuable challenge for the development of Korean basketball.” 먹튀검증
Lee Dae-sung was a free agent who needed both compensation players and compensation in the 2023 FA market. Believing in Lee’s sincerity in pledging to stay overseas as long as possible, KGC did not even make a voluntary termination to hold onto the right to return to Korea. After becoming uncontracted, Lee Dae-sung became a compensation player and a free agent. In other words, he has eliminated any obstacles to his overseas expansion.
However, Lee Dae-sung decided to return to Korea one year after his overseas challenge and signed a contract with Samsung, not with KGC. KGC, which released Lee Dae-sung’s long-term challenge without restrictions in support of him, suddenly turned to the domestic stage and was unable to receive any compensation regarding Lee Dae-sung, the “former FA” who signed a contract with Samsung in Seoul. If Lee Dae-sung had moved to a domestic club last summer, KGC would have been able to receive 1.1 billion won in compensation, 200% of his remuneration, or 275 million won in compensation and compensation.
Korea Gas Corporation also proposed a contract to Lee Dae-sung on the 20th, but the contract with Samsung had already entered the final stage. In response to this proposal, Lee Dae-sung said, “There was no sincere offer,” further stimulating Korea Gas Corporation and basketball fans. In order to quell negative public opinion, he attempted to break through head-on in the name of a joining press conference, but rather caused the atmosphere of the hearing. It is even more regrettable that he is Lee Dae-sung, a “star” who was full of passion and challenge for basketball.
In any case, the contract is over. KGC is in a tight spot, but legally, it has no problem with Lee Dae-sung’s contract with Samsung. Basketball fans say they are free to choose, but they are not welcome to do so. The contract with Lee Dae-sung, who is drawing criticism from basketball fans, has become a big example that could affect the FA system in professional basketball. At the same time, it will remain as an accident case that has made it difficult for clubs to release Korean players who want to play overseas.
