“I felt the details, and that’s why I was more inclined.”
The KBL announced on April 22 that the Ulsan Hyundai Mobis Phoebus have signed free agent forward Kim Jun-il. The contract is for four years with a total compensation of 450 million won ($315 million in salary and 135 million in incentives).
Kim’s move was announced on the last day of voluntary negotiations. Kim Jun-il, who played for LG last season, will move to Hyundai Mobis. After working with his twin brother, Cho Sang-hyun, he will now be working with his younger brother, Cho Dong-hyun.
“As a first-time free agent, I wasn’t sure what to do. When my brothers advised me that it would be a headache, I honestly didn’t know, but when it happened, I was very stressed. It was a tough time, but I’m glad I was able to join a good team,” he said.
Kim Jun-il revealed that the coaching staff of Hyundai Mobis was very supportive of his signing. Coach Cho Dong-hyun is also known to have shown interest in Jun-il, specifically presenting him with a utilization plan.
Kim Jun-il said, “The Hyundai Mobis coaching staff was the first to contact me after the FA briefing session at the end of the season. They showed a strong desire for me, so I was attracted to that and made my choice,” he said.
“Coach Cho Dong-hyun, of course, has (Jang) Jae-seok, (Ham) Ji-hoon, and (Kim) Hyun-min as older brothers, but he explained in detail how he would utilize me because I have a different style than my brothers. I felt the details and I think that’s what attracted me to the team.”먹튀검증
As Kim said, Hyundai Mobis has a lot of quality big men, including Ham Ji-hoon, Jang Jae-seok, and Kim Hyun-min. “Ham Ji-hoon is still very competitive, but he’s getting older, so there’s some overlap, but considering his aging, we needed reinforcements,” a Hyundai Mobis official explained.
Kim Jun-il added, “Everyone has a different style and I thought about how to play them. I’ve played as a full-time starter before, and last season I played almost as a sixth man. Competition is competition, but I’ll play in whatever order the coach wants. If he wants me to play a lot of minutes, I’ll play that way, and if he wants me to play a sixth-man role like I did at LG, I’ll play that way.”
