KBL Best 5
Korean Basketball League awards
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The KBL Best 5 (Korean: 베스트 5) an annual honor bestowed on the best players in the Korean Basketball League following every season. The honor is analogous to the "All-NBA Team" in the NBA or "Team of the Year" in association football. Voting is conducted by a panel of KBL-registered reporters and journalists who exclusively cover the sport.[1] Both domestic and foreign players are eligible for selection.
"One-club man" Yang Dong-geun holds the all-time record for the most number of selections, with nine, and Seo Jang-hoon and Kim Joo-sung are jointly ranked second, with eight selections. Moon Tae-jong and his younger brother Moon Tae-young were both selected for the 2013–14 season's Best 5, the only occasion where a pair of brothers were simultaneously selected. Heo Ung and Heo Hoon are the only other pair of brothers who have been voted into the Best 5, albeit on separate occasions.
Selections
| ^ | Denotes players who are still active in the KBL |
| * | Denotes players who have been voted into the KBL All-Time Legend 12 |
| Player (X) | Denotes the number of times the player has been selected |
| Player (in bold text) |
Indicates the player who won the KBL Most Valuable Player in the same year |
1997 to 2018–19
From the inception of the honor, voters have selected two guards, two forwards and a center. Best 5 teams are listed according to their positions in the following descending order: two guards, two forwards and a center. The positions are generally the position the player is registered as with the KBL but "swingman" players may be listed under the position they played the most in for that particular season, resulting several players being voted into the Best 5 on different occasions in different positions.
2019–20 to present
From the 2019–20 season onwards, the season's five best players are selected by voters without regard to position.[9] The five players who received the most votes are selected. Players are listed in descending order by number of votes received.
Multi-time winners
| # of Selections | Player | Team(s) | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Yang Dong-geun | Ulsan Hyundai Mobis Phoebus | 2005–06, 2006–07, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16 |
| 8 | Seo Jang-hoon | Cheongju SK Knights / Seoul Samsung Thunders | 1998–99, 1999–00, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2007–08 |
| Kim Joo-sung | Wonju DB Promy | 2002–03, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2011–12, 2014–15 | |
| 6 | Kang Dong-hee | Busan Kia Enterprise / Changwon LG Sakers | 1997, 1997–98, 1998–99, 1999–00, 2000–01, 2002–03 |
| 4 | Lee Sang-min | Daejeon Hyundai / Jeonju KCC Egis | 1997–98, 1998–99, 2001–02, 2003–04 |
| Joo Hee-jung | Suwon Samsung Thunders / Anyang KT&G | 2000–01, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09 | |
| Kim Seung-hyun | Daegu Orions | 2001–02, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2005–06 | |
| Moon Tae-young | Changwon LG Sakers / Ulsan Mobis Phoebus | 2009–10, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15 | |
| Lee Jung-hyun | Anyang KGC / Jeonju KCC Egis | 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19 | |
 Jameel Warney |
Seoul SK Knights | 2019–20, 2021–22, 2022–23, 2024–25 | |
| Kim Sun-hyung | Seoul SK Knights / Suwon KT Sonicboom | 2012–13, 2014–15, 2022–23, 2024–25 | |
| 3 | Johnny McDowell |
Daejeon Hyundai Dynat / Gullivers | 1997–98, 1998–99, 1999–00 |
| Ha Seung-jin | Jeonju KCC Egis | 2009–10, 2010–11, 2015–16 | |
| Ham Ji-hoon | Ulsan Hyundai Mobis Phoebus | 2009–10, 2015–16, 2018–19 | |
| Oh Se-keun | Anyang KGC | 2011–12, 2016–17, 2017–18 | |
| Aaron Haynes |
Seoul SK Knights / Goyang Orion Orions | 2012–13, 2016–17, 2017–18 |
Notes
- Domestic basketball was then an amateur sport and the inaugural season of the professional league began play in February 1997 to allow for a smooth transition.
- Yang Dong-geun and Seo Jang-hoon were joint winners of the KBL Most Valuable Player Award for the 2005–06 season.
- Stevenson has been known by his Korean name Moon Tae-young (문태영) after obtaining South Korean citizenship through his Korean mother.
- Joint selection in the center position
- Award was nullified after his expulsion from the KBL
- Joint selection in the forward position
- Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in March 2020, the KBL board of directors voted to end the season early, in the middle of the fifth round, and cancel the play-offs. Instead the KBL board of directors declared Wonju DB Promy and Seoul SK Knights as joint first place on the league table.[11]