Lee Dong-jun (basketball)
South Korean basketball player
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lee Dong-jun (born Daniel Sandrin; 27 January 1980) is an American-born South Korean basketball player.[1]
- University Of Portland (1999–2000)
- Seattle Pacific (2000–2002)
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
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| Born | 27 January 1980 | ||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| College |
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| Position | Forward | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| 2007–2012 | Daegu Orions | ||||||||||||||
| 2012–2015 | Seoul Samsung Thunders | ||||||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | Seoul SK Knights | ||||||||||||||
| 2016–2016 | Alab Pilipinas (disbanded 2020) | ||||||||||||||
Medals
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Career
Lee began his basketball career playing for the University of Portland in the 1998–1999 season, appearing in eight games and scoring an average of 1 points. He transferred to Seattle Pacific University in 2000.[2] After his graduation, he went on to play on professional teams in Luxembourg and Germany before coming to South Korea in 2006.[1]
In South Korea, Lee joined Yonsei University's team in March 2006.[1] Lee's participation in university basketball was controversial because he was not a South Korean citizen and he had previously played in professional leagues in Europe. Even after he naturalised, Korea University continued to object to his participation due to his professional experience; after he was ruled ineligible, a physical altercation broke out at a September 2006 match between Yonsei University and Korea University.[1] Coming to South Korea was a difficult adjustment for Lee in terms of culture and language.[3] Philippine Olympic Committee president Monico Puentevella stated in media interviews that Sandrin had told him "he couldn’t relate with the Koreans because they hardly speak English … he felt more comfortable with our team.[4] Nevertheless, Lee stated that he relished the opportunity to live in the country and learn more about his roots.[3]
Lee would go on to play professionally in the Korean Basketball League for the Daegu Orions.[3] He later moved to the Seoul Samsung Thunders. In January 2013 he and elder brother Lee Seung-jun were booked on assault charges in Mapo District, leading to controversy over whether they should be permitted to play in the then-ongoing KBL All-Star Games.[5]
On 21 November 2016, it was announced that Lee would serve as one of two Alab Pilipinas' world imports together with his brother Lee Seung-jun.[6]
On December 2016, the Lee Dong-jun alongside his brother was removed from the team due to inadequate performance.[7]
Personal life
Lee was born into a basketball family: his father was an avid player, and taught the game to Lee's older brother and then to Lee himself.[3] He graduated from Bothell High School in 1998 before going on to the University of Portland and then Seattle Pacific University.[2] He naturalised as a South Korean citizen in June 2006, relinquishing his U.S. citizenship in the process.[1][8] His elder brother Eric Sandrin followed him to South Korea and in 2009 also naturalised as a South Korean citizen, changing his name to Lee Seung-jun.[9]