SHINeeS Minho Leads ‘Passionate Basketball‘ Team in Pursuit of a New Korean Sports Craze
YONGIN, SOUTH KOREA – SHINee‘s Minho is trading the stage for the court, captaining a team of Korean celebrities in the upcoming broadcast of “Passionate Basketball,” a program documenting their journey from training to international competition. The team recently completed matches against the Philippine celebrity basketball team, aiming to ignite a renewed interest in basketball across Korea.
The program follows Minho, along with jinwoon Jeong (2AM), Johnny (NCT), Sooin Moon, Taek Kim, Seunghoon Oh, Eunseok Park, Taejin Son, Gyumin Jeong, Daehee Lee, and Chanwoong Park, as they develop their skills under the guidance of team manager seo Jang-hoon and coach Jeon Tae-poong. minho, embracing his role as captain, expressed a sense of obligation, stating, “I felt sorry for being the captain,” and adding, “I felt like I had to do well.”
Despite acknowledging potential shortcomings, minho emphasized a positive outlook, saying, “I was more thankful than challenging. I may have had some shortcomings, but I was grateful for trusting and following along.”
The team held two live games at the Yongin Indoor Gymnasium on September 22nd and October 8th, followed by an away game in the Philippines on October 26th. minho shared his personal goal, “My goal is to grab 10 rebounds in a real game,” and highlighted the thrill of accomplished teamwork, noting, “When a goal is scored in the correct pattern.”
Beyond athletic ambition, Minho hopes the program will broaden basketball’s appeal. “I think it woudl mean the most if you can enjoy basketball through us. I hope everyone will fall in love with basketball while watching the passionate basketball team,” he said. He described the experience as fulfilling a “passion and dream,” emphasizing the “charm of a passionate basketball team” lies in “the process of becoming stronger together toward one goal, basketball.”
Viewers can expect to see a different side of the K-pop star, with Minho anticipating a more “decisive” and “affectionate” portrayal than his stage persona. “The captain has to take care of all the players,” he explained.
“Passionate Basketball” is set to premiere at 5 PM on November 29th.
