SK Knights to Play Late Home Opener Against Sono on Oct. 18

Seoul SK will finally kick off its 2026-2027 KCC Pro Basketball regular season on October 18 with a home game against the Goyang Sono.

The 2026-2027 pro basketball season opened on October 3, and as of October 15, each team has played three to five games, but SK has yet to play a single match.

SK was originally scheduled to participate in the BCL Asia tournament hosted by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) in June.

However, due to the outbreak of war in the Middle East, the tournament was postponed to mid-October, pushing back SK's domestic professional basketball season schedule as well.

To make matters worse, the tournament was ultimately canceled, disrupting SK's schedule right from the start of the season.

Having held a pre-season training camp in Taiwan ahead of the season opener, SK has honed a different style of transition play compared to last season.

Following the transfer of Kim Sun-hyung—who used to spearhead the team's fast breaks—to the Suwon KT ahead of the 2025-2026 season, SK Head Coach Jeon Hee-chul stated, "We will show a brand of basketball that boldly takes shots before the opposing defense is set."

Jameel Warney, a foreign player who is practically a domestic veteran by now, forms a combination with Isaiah Hicks, who excels in defense and rebounding, while domestic players such as An Young-jun, Oh Jae-hyun, and Kim Nak-hyun form a solid roster.

Sono, SK's opponent for its season opener, is currently struggling with team morale.

Although tipped as championship contenders this season, they have suffered four consecutive losses after winning their opening game.

Lee Jung-hyun, who returned after winning a gold medal at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, is suffering from a slump in condition, and foreign player Scotty James is evaluated as not yet fully integrated into the team's play.

Following their opening match against Sono at their home court, Jamsil Student Gymnasium, SK will continue to play a streak of home games against the Anyang Jung Kwan Jang on October 20, Changwon LG on October 24, KT on October 25, and Busan KCC on October 27.

While they may not boast the roster depth cited as championship favorites this season, SK faces a great opportunity to accumulate wins by playing five consecutive home matches at the beginning of the season.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.