Byun Jun-hyung of Anyang Jeongkwanjang and Heo Hoon of Busan KCC have been named the top-paid players for the new professional basketball season.
The Korean Basketball League (KBL) said Tuesday that it had closed registration for domestic players for the 2026-2027 season. According to the KBL, 172 domestic and Asian quota players from 10 clubs completed their registration.
Byun and Heo will each receive 800 million won, tying for the top spot in compensation. Byun claimed the No. 1 spot for the first time since his professional debut, while Heo topped the rankings for a second consecutive season following the previous campaign.
Cho Han-jin of Ulsan Hyundai Mobis recorded the highest pay raise for the new season. Cho signed for a total of 300 million won, a 200% increase from 100 million won last season. Lee Yoon-ki of Wonju DB placed second in raise rankings, signing for 130 million won, up 189% from the previous season.
Lee Kwan-hee of Seoul Samsung and Kim Dong-hyun of KCC failed to reach agreements with their clubs and filed for salary arbitration. Lee reportedly demanded 320 million won, 90 million won higher than the amount offered by his club, while Kim sought 130 million won, 55 million won higher than his club's offer.
The KBL domestic player salary cap for the 2026-2027 season is 3 billion won. Goyang Sono, which signed 18 players, recorded the highest usage rate among the 10 clubs at 99.4%. Suwon KT and Seoul SK (both 97.7%) and KCC (97%) followed. Samsung showed the lowest salary cap usage rate at 59.4%.
