South Korea's women's basketball players, who reached the top of the Asian Games for the first time in 12 years, will now take the court in their club uniforms.
All 11 members of the national women's basketball team that competed at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games have been included on the entry lists for the 2026 KB Kookmin Bank Park Shin-ja Cup, according to the Women's Korean Basketball League. The tournament runs from Oct. 3 to Oct. 11 at Cheongju Gymnasium in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province.
The national team beat host Japan in the final in Nagoya to claim its first gold medal since the 2014 Incheon Games. The players returned to their clubs immediately after the tournament to begin preparations for the new season. Heo Ye-eun of the Cheongju KB Stars led all players at the Asian Games with an average of 7.2 assists, while Lee So-hee of the Busan BNK Sum ranked second in three-pointers made, hitting 3.0 per game.
Japanese players who faced South Korea in the final will also travel to Cheongju. Haru Owaki, who recorded 23 points and 13 rebounds in the final, and Riho Akagi, who scored nine points including a three-pointer, are on Fujitsu's roster for the Park Shin-ja Cup. The Korea-Japan final will effectively be replayed at the club level.
The Park Shin-ja Cup, an international tournament held during the women's professional basketball offseason, tips off at 2 p.m. on Oct. 3 with a matchup between Incheon Shinhan Bank and Ulaanbaatar. Group play continues through Oct. 9, followed by the semifinals on Oct. 10 and the third-place game and final on Oct. 11.
