At his signing press conference on the 22nd at the KBL Center, Choi shared his reasons for choosing KCC and his aspirations for the upcoming season.

After becoming a free agent at the end of last season, Choi received interest from several teams in the free agency market. Wonju DB and Seoul Samsung specifically exchanged cards with his original team, Seoul SK, and engaged in sign-and-trade negotiations.

Just when it looked like a Samsung move was in the cards, KCC entered the race to sign Choi. Unlike Samsung, which was burdened by compensation and sought a breakthrough with a sign-and-trade, KCC, the “big hand in the free agency market,” was hot on its heels.

KCC acquired Choi Jun-yong solely through free agency. Accordingly, KCC must pay SK 50% of his salary from last season (KRW 225 million) plus compensatory players (excluding four protected players) or 200% of his salary (KRW 1.1 billion).

At the press conference, Choi’s jersey number was as eye-catching as his words. His jersey, prepared by KCC, had the number 2 on it. It was a number he was very attached to. He often wears a necklace with the number 2 on it in the dugout, and his “lucky two dollar” ceremony at SK was a big hit with fans.

After wearing Kevin Durant’s number 35 as a rookie, Choi has worn the number 2 since his sophomore season. “My nickname is ‘CHOI’ (No. 2). I’ve been called that for a long time, so I started using the number 2, but when I started using it, I realized that it has a lot of meanings. It’s a V, it’s a V, it’s a two-finger pose. There’s also a lucky two dollars,” says Choi.

However, the number 2 in the KCC was the number Song Kyo-chang wore before he enlisted in the military. From his KBL debut in 2015-2016 to the 2017-2018 season, Song wore No. 7, and from the 2018-2019 season, he wore a jersey with No. 2.

After his move to KCC was finalized, Choi Jun-yong personally called Song Kyo-chang to discuss the jersey number, and Song Kyo-chang relinquished the number 2. Song Kyo-chang will wear the number 55, which he wears for the national team and commercial organization, after his return to KCC.

Choi Jun-yong said, “I was sorry but grateful that (Song) wanted to use a different number. I’ll reciprocate, but we didn’t talk about anything else. I said, ‘Let’s have fun when I get out of the army. He said we should try to win a championship together. We all have the same goal,” he laughed.

The number is another name that symbolizes a player. Major leaguer Choo Shin-soo made headlines when he gave a luxury watch worth about 20 million won to a junior who gave him his number when he returned to Korea. Choi Jun-yong said, “I’m going to reciprocate.” Perhaps the most valuable gift for Song Kyo-chang would be his first 스포츠토토 championship ring.