“I am proud of being a franchise star.”
KBL announced on the 22nd that Ulsan Hyundai Mobis signed a two-year contract with free agent Ham Ji-hoon for a total of 450 million won.
Ham Ji-hoon signed a two-year contract with an annual salary that is not small at an age when others think of retirement. To that extent, the influence that Ham Ji-hoon exudes at Hyundai Mobis is still great.
Regarding Ham Ji-hoon’s contract, an official from Hyundai Mobis said, “Ham Ji-hoon is still a competitive player and a player who fulfills his role sufficiently. And as a franchise player, there was a level of courtesy. He is a player who understands while helping. The negotiations this time also went very smoothly.”
First of all, Ham Ji-hoon said, “First of all, I am grateful to the club. I felt comfortable and signed a contract without thinking separately as a free agent. I am grateful to the club for believing in me despite my age.”
An official from Hyundai Mobis also confided in an episode, “After (Ham) Ji-hoon quietly asked for a lot at the negotiating table, he didn’t say much.” Ham Ji-hoon easily reached an agreement with the club in this negotiation as well.
Ham Ji-hoon said, “I personally feel uncomfortable in such a position. (Laughs) And before I even said it, the team took good care of me.
He probably wouldn’t have done that, but after being asked if he had ever thought of transferring, Ham Ji-hoon, who smiled, showed a clear appearance, saying, “Of course, I have never thought of going to another team.”
The reason for the reply that he has no intention of joining another team must be his affection for the Hyundai Mobis club and his pride for the franchise star title. Ham Ji-hoon felt great pride in the fact that he was a franchise star.
Ham Ji-hoon said, “Isn’t it not possible for anyone to be a franchise star who only plays for one team? First of all, I am not good at expressing it in words, but I am proud of that fact. I am very proud of the fact that I was able to win a lot while playing with my teammates.”
Those born in 1984, including Ham Ji-hoon, Kim Tae-sul, Yang Hee-jong, Yun Ho-young, Kim Young-hwan, and Lee Kwang-jae, were selected as the representative golden generation of KBL. However, with Yang Hee-jong, Kim Young-hwan, and Yun Ho-young all retiring at the end of last season, Ham Ji-hoon, born in 1984, is now left alone.
Ham Ji-hoon said, “I had various emotions and feelings, and I was confused. However, I am still enjoying the competition on the court, and personally, the process of running and preparing in the gym is interesting. So I signed a contract for two more years. (Laughs) With friends I contacted everyone around me. Everyone around me tells me not to get hurt and to do it for a long time. Younghwan also went to coach and Heejong also coached, and seeing things like that, I think my mind was at a loss.”
Regarding the timing of his retirement, he smiled calmly, saying, “I haven’t set a specific time. I’ve always said it, but if the team doesn’t need me, I’ll stop signing the contract.”
Ham Ji-hoon suffered from an injury at the end of last season. Now that he is not young, he has to pay special attention to taking care of his body.
Ham Ji-hoon said, “The injury has healed. I think he should prepare well so that it does not recur this season. The coach also advised me to take care of my body or rehabilitate faithfully because I am old.”
Last season, Hyundai Mobis broke expectations and had a successful season with 34 wins in the regular league alone. However, due to the cataclysm in the FA market, the power of competing teams for next season has been significantly upgraded. A difficult season was expected, and Ham Ji-hoon expressed great expectations.
Ham Ji-hoon said, “There was a lot of movement in the FA market, and I had a lot of fun watching it from the side. On the other hand, there is a team that has become very strong next season, so I’m looking forward to it. It’s the season,” he said confidently.안전놀이터
Finally, Ham Ji-hoon said to the fans, “I always want to say thank you. Thanks to the fans, I have been playing for such a long time. Last year, I showed a bad performance because of an injury, but this season I will perform differently, and the Hyundai Mobis team. I hope you will look forward to it,” he greeted.