Foreign player Jamil Warney (Seoul SK, 30), who is playing as the ace of Korean professional basketball, suddenly announced his retirement.
Warnie announced on his blog that he would retire after the end of the season without consulting with the club. It seems that he has longed for his hometown after living in a foreign country for a long time. The club is determined to persuade Warnie.
Warney wrote on his blog on the 16th, "I was really happy to spend the past six years with the SK Knights as part of the team," adding, "It's my last year as a basketball player."
"I'm so grateful that Korea became my second home, but I have to find my priorities," he wrote. "I learned that basketball is not everything."
Warney said he opened a blog to communicate with fans during the retirement season. All of his posts were written in Korean.
As the surprise announcement of his retirement made waves, Warney posted a new post and wrote, "I apologize for the timing of the announcement."
"I'm grateful for the support I've received, but I don't want it to blur the meaning of this season," he said, adding, "Please send a lot of support and encouragement to all KBL teams this season and in the future, especially SK Knights."
Warnie is a special foreigner in Korean professional basketball. He has been one of the top players in the league every season and has won the 온라인카지노 MVP award three times. Since 2019, he has averaged 21.9 points, 10.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.2 steals in the KBL. Warnie is remarkable not only in attack below the goal but also in fast attack capability. "Running basketball," SK's flagship skill, is exerting enormous power thanks to Warnie's fast attack.
Since coming to Korea, Warnie has been consistently active in SK for six years without changing teams. Including the 2019-2020 season, when the season ended early due to COVID-19, he has won two regular season championships and one unified championship.
He has been in top form this season by scoring an average of 25.3 points, the most in his career. For SK, it is regrettable that Warnie will retire early.
Warney has reportedly consistently expressed his difficulties with his long life abroad to the club.
An SK official said, "Even when renewing the contract this season, Warnie said he didn't want to play basketball for a long time," adding, "I think he also wants to go back to his hometown and become a leader at school."
"I think I can play for another three to four years with Wony's skills," the official said. "If this season is over and there is a new motivation, Won't Wony be able to think about playing more?"