There is a boom in the so-called ‘Nongnol (basketball game)’ among celebrities. Following the success of the movie 'The First Slam Dunk', a series of basketball-related movies such as 'Rebound' had a significant impact. Celebrities who usually like basketball are also showing their presence as basketball promotional ambassadors. Lee Sun-kyun, Shin Ha-kyun, Jeong Jin-woon, and Han Ga-in are representative celebrities who indulge in 'nongnol'.
Han Ga-in watched the 2022-2023 SKT Adot professional basketball semifinal playoff match between Seoul SK and Changwon LG held at Jamsil Student Gymnasium in Seoul on the 18th. Han Ga-in cheered passionately by wearing a headband with the phrase ‘LG Fighting’ written on top of her hat. His appearance was also caught on broadcast. In addition, when Han Ga-in was caught on the broadcast, it became a hot topic on social media and online communities.
A new term, 'Nongnol', was created due to the movie 'The First Slam Dunk', which was released in January this year. Nongnol is an abbreviation for playing basketball and means binge-watching the cartoon ‘Slam Dunk’ or watching a movie to the Nth degree. Nowadays, it even means watching it in person at the basketball court.
It is said that the successive release of basketball movies, including 'The First Slam Dunk' and 'Rebound', had an impact on the KBL's box office success. Previously, Lee Seon-kyun and Shin Ha-kyun had a try-out in a regular season game due to their relationship with Seoul SK coach Jeon Hee-cheol.
'Rebound' coach Jang Hang-jun, Ahn Jae-hong, and others also played a halftime mini-game at the stadium with Situ. In particular, Jinwoon Jeong is running his own celebrity basketball team. In addition, Lee Sang-yoon, Seo Ji-seok, Melomance's Kim Min-seok, Moon Soo-in, and Lee Tae-seon also showed their passion for basketball.
However, Han Ga-in visited the stadium to cheer, not to fight. According to officials, Han Ga-in visited the basketball court with her friends. Because it was a personal schedule, he did not notify the company. The day after visiting the stadium, Han Ga-in wrote on her SNS, "Thanks to a friend who is a big fan of the LG team, I have been to the basketball court for the first time in a long time since middle school. It's exciting. It brings back memories of going to Yonsei University to cheer on her when I was young."
Han Ga-in posted photos and videos along with the article. The released photos and videos show Han Ga-in and her friends. Han Ga-in cheered passionately, wearing a picket and headband that said, ‘LG Fighting’, ‘I Only See You’, and ‘I Only See You God Gwanhee’. However, LG, the team that Han Ga-in supported, lost the game against SK and failed to advance to the championship match.
Until now, basketball has received relatively little attention in the entertainment industry compared to baseball and soccer, which are similar ball sports. Recently, there has been a boom in golf entertainment, but there have been no basketball-related broadcast programs. Attention is focused on whether stars who love basketball can serve as a catalyst for the basketball boom.
Kang Min-kyung, Ten Asia reporter kkk39@tenasia.co.kr