[Anchor]

The men's basketball national team, which has already secured a spot in the quarterfinals at the Nagoya Asian Games, will face archrival Japan tomorrow (the 13th) for the top spot in their group. Basketball star Jeon Tae-poong, known for his flashy skills and unfiltered wit, is stepping into the broadcast booth to run alongside his junior players.

Reporter Kim Hyeong-yeol has the story.

[Reporter]

Seated in the commentary booth for the very first time,

He initially surprised everyone by letting slip his signature unbroadcastable expressions,

[Jeon Tae-poong : A fluke shot, a fluke shot, (our) defense was good. (The opponent) got a fluke shot.]

[Caster : Meaning a fluke. Please use the term fluke.]

He soon regained his composure.

Predicting scores the moment the ball leaves the shooter's hands,

[Jeon Tae-poong : It's in.]

[Caster : Lee Hyun-jung with the three-pointer!]

[Jeon Tae-poong : It went in, it went in.]

[Caster : How did you know?]

[Jeon Tae-poong : Oh, when Hyun-jung's ball timing is right, it goes in. When his footwork is right, it goes in.]

He even drops four-character idioms right where they belong.

[Jeon Tae-poong : Liao Saning of (China), I already acknowledged your (scoring ability). Stop showing off. Too much is as bad as too little!!]

After finishing his first rehearsal, Commentator Jeon confessed his nervousness about going live and even offered a rare pre-emptive apology,

[Jeon Tae-poong / SBS Commentator : I worry that things might just pop out without thinking. Everyone, I am sorry. If I make a few mistakes during my very first commentary, please kindly understand.]

He promised commentary that combines both fun and depth so that viewers can easily understand and immerse themselves in the game.

[Jeon Tae-poong / SBS Commentator : The flow of the game is most important. The defensive flow, the offensive flow, I will focus a lot of my (commentary) on those areas.]

Having naturalized 17 years ago with the dream of wearing the Taegeuk mark,

[Until the East Sea's waters run dry...]

Saying he knows the significance of a South Korea-Japan match better than anyone, he boosted his juniors' morale by declaring they must not even lose at rock-paper-scissors,

[Jeon Tae-poong / SBS Commentator : Our players are much better looking. In team play, team tactics, and defense, we are better than Japan.]

And predicted victory in their first South Korea-Japan showdown of the tournament.

[Jeon Tae-poong / SBS Commentator : Honestly, Lee Hyun-jung just needs to keep launching three-pointers like Rambo. I have 100% faith in our national team players. We will definitely win. Asian Games, it's SBS!]

(Photo: Yonhap News / Reported by Yoo Dong-hyuk, Video by Ha Seong-won, Design by Hwang Se-yeon and Jeon Yu-keun)