June 3, 2024

Have you ever developed the habit of checking your phone when you wake up in the middle of the night?

Well, I have, and on June 3 at 3:18 a.m., Pacific Standard Time, I wished I didn’t. I saw a post that said, though not quite official, that LG Sakers guard Lee Gwanhee was being traded to DB Promy.

What?!?!?!??!??!?!??!?!?!?!?!?! No, no, no, no, no, no!! This can’t be right at all. I had to rub my eyes a few times, slap my cheek, and triple check. And check again. This was a nightmare. My heart and mind were running a million miles a minute.

Lee Gwanhee was just coming back home from an amazing fan event in Indonesia. And to come back home to this crappy news seems rather unfortunate and ugly timing to say the least.

My initial reaction was shock and disbelief. And sadness. I was not angry. I was really sad. My heart cried myself back to sleep.

Nine hours later…

Emotions have started to settle, and logic had started to set in. In  the world of professional sports, especially basketball, trades happen more often than not. It’s quite normal, really. But the time to learn to accept it can vary from fan to fan.

This is Lee Gwanhee’s second time being traded in his fourteen-year career in the KBL. And to be traded towards the end of one’s career sucks. Well, for me personally, it does. He’s 36, past his prime. In sports,  you can’t beat Father Time, unfortunately, unless you’re Tom Brady. (‘Father Time’ is a period where a player can no longer perform at his or her prime or highest level. It’s the very end of a career, usually leads to retirement.)

But for Lee Gwanhee, who knows? This trade may be a blessing in disguise. He’s moving on to a team that was this past regular season’s KBL champion. This may offer him an opportunity to be finally be a champion, considering he’s still chasing that championship dream. I think we are all rooting for him to end his career on a high note.

The bittersweet part of all this for me is that although Lee Gwanhee influenced me to watch the LG Sakers and become a fan, I will remain an LG Sakers fan. The person who became known as the Lee Gwanhee fan from the US or the “US Unnie” among the LG Sakers basketball fanbase and community will not be following him to DB.

What are your thoughts?

(More on my next entry!)

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