The Seoul Samsung Thunders, long the bottom-dwellers of South Korean professional basketball, have stormed into the new season. The turnaround, which few predicted before the opening tip, has energized the Korean Basketball League. Samsung has won all four of its games since the season began, sitting alone atop the league with a perfect record. Gone is the team that spent the past five seasons stuck in last place among the league's 10 clubs.
Kim Sang-sik, head coach of the Thunders, said in a telephone interview with Seoul Economic Daily on the 16th that teamwork matters more than who is on the floor. "Even if we lose, we want to show fans that Samsung has really changed," he said. "Showing growth every day — better tomorrow than today, better the day after than tomorrow — is what matters most." Kim took over the team this season with a mandate to lift it out of the cellar.
Samsung beat the Changwon LG Sakers 93-86 at Jamsil Students' Gymnasium in Seoul on the 15th in a 2026-2027 KCC Professional Basketball regular-season home game. LG won the regular-season title last season. The victory followed wins over the Suwon KT Sonicboom, the Anyang Jung Kwan Jang Red Boosters and the Goyang Sono Skygunners, giving Samsung four straight. It is the club's first 4-0 start since the 2003-2004 season, a span of 23 years.
The run is all the more striking because Samsung won just 25.6% of its games over the past five seasons, going 69-201. Kim's appointment was not confirmed until mid-July, leaving him little time to prepare. While most clubs begin offseason training in May, Samsung had barely two and a half months.
What changed the team so quickly was not tactics but the teamwork Kim built. He avoided team dinners and instead talked with his players constantly on the gymnasium court, holding one-on-one meetings after practice to erase the defeatism that had settled in over several years.
"The team had often been criticized for weak teamwork, so when I took over this season I put the most emphasis on building a culture of trusting and relying on each other," Kim said. "Shortcomings in skills or basketball ability are fine, but I would not tolerate selfish or showy behavior. An atmosphere where players encourage each other instead of assigning blame has carried over into performance." He added: "I no longer see defeat in the players' eyes. I see a strong will to keep going to the end without giving up."
Another key to the streak is a one-team approach that does not lean on a single star. Samsung is short-handed, with starting center Lee Won-suk and guard Park Seung-jae away on military service with the Sangmu team and Lee Dae-sung injured, yet every player who takes the floor has stepped up. "We do not have national team players like other clubs, and apart from Kerem Kanter we have no sure scorer who can put up 20 or more points," Kim said. "We are running a motion offense in which three or four players share 30 to 40 points, moving a lot to create chances and attacking aggressively when an opening appears."
What changed the team so quickly was not tactics but the teamwork Kim built. He avoided team dinners and instead talked with his players constantly on the gymnasium court, holding one-on-one meetings after practice to erase the defeatism that had settled in over several years.
"The team had often been criticized for weak teamwork, so when I took over this season I put the most emphasis on building a culture of trusting and relying on each other," Kim said. "Shortcomings in skills or basketball ability are fine, but I would not tolerate selfish or showy behavior. An atmosphere where players encourage each other instead of assigning blame has carried over into performance." He added: "I no longer see defeat in the players' eyes. I see a strong will to keep going to the end without giving up."
Another key to the streak is a one-team approach that does not lean on a single star. Samsung is short-handed, with starting center Lee Won-suk and guard Park Seung-jae away on military service with the Sangmu team and Lee Dae-sung injured, yet every player who takes the floor has stepped up. "We do not have national team players like other clubs, and apart from Kerem Kanter we have no sure scorer who can put up 20 or more points," Kim said. "We are running a motion offense in which three or four players share 30 to 40 points, moving a lot to create chances and attacking aggressively when an opening appears."
The defense has tightened noticeably as well. Samsung scored an average of 79.8 points and allowed 83.3 last season. Through four games this season it is scoring 80.5 and holding opponents to 75.3. "Our offense is not strong, so the only option was to cut the other team's scoring," Kim said. "Coming together as one team seems to be paying off on defense too."
Despite the 4-0 start and sole possession of first place, Kim remains measured. Asked about the season's goal, he said: "I could set out something grand, but from the start my own goal has been nothing more than escaping last place. The four wins came from working hard, and there is no room for complacency. Losing streaks may come during the season, and when they do I will steady the team and show something good. I will show fans a Samsung that never gives up until the end."