Hur Jae
Hur Jae (born September 28, 1965 in Chuncheon) is a South Korean basketball coach and former player who competed from the late 1980s to the mid-2000s (decade). At the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, he took the Athlete's Oath with handball player Son Mi-na. He was the FIBA Asia Cup MVP in 1995.
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 허재 |
|---|---|
| Hanja | 許載 |
| Revised Romanization | Heo Jae |
| McCune–Reischauer | Hŏ Chae |
Education
Jae graduated from Sangmyung Primary School in 1978, Yongsan Middle School in 1981, Yongsan High School in 1984, and Chung-Ang University in 1988.
Career
In 1988, he joined the Amateur basketball team of Kia Motors. He led his team to the championship for five years straight (1988–1993) and for another back to back in (1995–1996), and he won the Most Valuable Player; MVP three times. After foundation of the Professional league, he won the Finals MVP in 1997–98.
On March 3, 1991, Hur Jae was involved in an infamous brawl during a championship match against Hyundai. Early in the first half, Hur Jae was elbowed by Hyundai's Im Dal-sik. Hur Jae furiously approached Im Dal-sik, pushing him in the head, and Im Dal-sik responded by hitting Hur Jae with a right hand. After both players were ejected, Hur Jae confronted Im Dal-sik again, and Im Dal-sik's teammate, Kim Sung-wook connected with an uppercut to Hur Jae's jaw. Hur Jae suffered a fractured jaw which took 3 months to heal. Both Hur Jae and Im Dal-sik were suspended for 6 months and Kim Sung Wook was suspended for 3 months following the incident.
He retired on April, 2004. His team TG Xers made his number nine the retired number for the first time of team's history.
Jae also competed in two Summer Olympics, earning his best finish of ninth in men's team event at Seoul in 1988.
In 1990, Jae set the record for most points in a FIBA World Championship match, a record that still stands to this day, scoring 54 vs. Egypt in a 117–115 victory for 15th place.[1][2][3]
In 2005, he became the head coach of Jeonju KCC Egis and the Korean National Team.
In 2015, after coaching the team for 10 seasons, he resigned as the head coach of Jeonju KCC Egis. He is chosen as the head coach of the South Korean National Basketball Team from 2016 to 2018, helping the team winning bronze medal at 2017 FIBA Asia Cup and 2018 Asian Games.
After resigned as the head coach of the national team, Hur started to appear on entertainment shows.
Personal life
Hur is nicknamed as "The President of Korean Basketball / 농구대통령" by Korean fans. In 1992, He married Lee Mi-soo, and have 2 sons, Heo Ung born in 1993 and Heo Hoon born in 1995. Both are following his step as professional basketball player.