Korean women’s basketball superstar Park Ji-soo (25), whom I met at the Cheongju Gymnasium on the 1st, looked thin. How serious her injuries were, she knew at once. “I guess it’s because I’m still not in good shape. She seems to be getting better and worse these days.”안전놀이터
Park Ji-soo was diagnosed with panic disorder in July of last year. It was after he was selected as a member of the 2022 International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Basketball World Cup national team. “At some point, I suddenly started to feel sick. The moment he should have calmed down, he suddenly became agitated. He had an autonomic nervous system problem, so I didn’t know what to do. He has to be at ease to be able to control it, but it was difficult to do that.”
There was also an analysis that Park Ji-soo’s injury was caused by the interest that had been pouring in since he was a teenager. But Park Ji-soo shook his head. “If it was because of the pressure, wouldn’t he have had symptoms when he was younger? Because the pressure was bigger than before.”
Park Ji-soo devoted himself to treatment. Without an ace, Korean women’s basketball failed to advance to the quarterfinals. The team’s defending champion, KB, also struggled in the 2022-2023 season. “I felt sorry for the team and colleagues. Because someone had to run my share. I felt more sorry because I knew how hard it was. I hated basketball because of that. I didn’t want to see it, I didn’t want to do it.”
It was the family that gave Park Ji-soo strength. “While receiving treatment, I saw my older brother (Park Jun-hyeok, Woori Card), who is a volleyball player, run. His appearances increased as his brother moved teams. Seeing his brother celebrate with his teammates, he thought, ‘Oh, I did that too’. Then I wanted to exercise.”
KB was in no hurry. I gave Park Ji-soo enough time. “It would have been really difficult without the support of the team and the fans. Whenever I felt impatient, coach Kim Wan-soo instilled in me to think only of your body and that the team is not thinking about your comeback. Fans with the same symptoms contacted me directly and comforted me. It gave me a lot of strength to support someone like me. They are the driving force behind me running again.”
Park Ji-soo is finally back. It was in a game against Bucheon Hanawon Q on December 17 last year. “Choi Ok-sook’s mental coach shed tears on the day she returned. She was so grateful. Her family was also delighted. She scored just one goal that day. I scored two goals, but I wondered if scoring was really that difficult. In fact, she was not confident. She felt like if she threw a shot, she would miss it all. However, I will never forget the emotion and gratitude I felt when I scored a goal after a long time. Thanks to that, I am grateful for every single goal in every game. I always write it down in my diary to remember these feelings.”
Park Ji-soo is making a soft landing in the league. In his 9 games played, Park Ji-soo is averaging 13.8 points and 8.1 rebounds. Park Ji-soo is back, but KB has a long way to go to the semifinals. “I have the confidence to play spring basketball. We all have hope. My hands and feet don’t fit yet, but I’m hopeful that they’re getting better. I want to go step by step.”
What would Park Ji-soo want to do if his body became perfect? Park Ji-soo said he had a small wish. “There are fans, so there is women’s basketball, so I want to show the fans something cool. Seeing the last All-Star game, there were some boring points, right? If I go to the All-Star game next year in perfect shape, I will show you a great dunk.”