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WKBL’s ‘unfair advantage’ Saki Iijima makes history as first foreign player to top All-Star voting

Published: 05 Jan. 2026, 13:07 Updated: 05 Jan. 2026, 18:38

Saki Iijima, center, of Team Unibl receives a trophy for topping the fan vote ahead of the WKBL All-Star Festival game between Team Unibl and Team Ponibl at Sajik Gymnasium in Busan on Jan. 4. [NEWS1]

When coming over from Japan in 2024, Saki Iijima of Korea's women’s professional basketball team Bucheon Hana Bank probably never imagined being voted No. 1 in the WKBL All-Star fan poll less than two years later.

On Sunday, however, all eyes were on the Japanese forward representing Team Unibl during the All-Star Game at the Sajik Gymnasium in Busan. While BNK’s Byun So-jung led Team Ponibl to a 100-89 victory over Team Unibl with 25 points, it was Iijima's sharp passes and shots that stood out as the crowd focused on the first foreign player in WKBL history to top the All-Star fan vote, with 19,915 votes.

Iijima began her professional career in 2014 with the Yamanashi Queenbees of the Women’s Japan Basketball League. Back then, she was a relatively unremarkable player, occasionally praised for her defense.

In the 2023-24 season, she wasn't even a starter, instead serving as a "sixth man" — referring to a key substitute in basketball who often plays significant minutes and impacts the game off the bench — earning the equivalent of just 5 million won ($3,450) a month and contemplating retirement. But she crossed over to Korea, signing with BNK at a monthly salary of 10 million won, and emerged as a key offensive weapon, averaging 9.6 points, and helped lead her team to a championship in her first season.

This season, Iijima answered a call from Bucheon Hana Bank head coach Lee Sang-beom, who was building a squad around speed. Now in her second WKBL season, she has once again turned her team into a title contender.

“It’s an honor to be voted No. 1 among the WKBL’s outstanding players,” Iijima said. “I think the fans are paying attention because the team has really turned things around.”

Saki Iijima of Bucheon Hana Bank shoots a free throw during a game against Asan Woori Bank on Dec. 5, 2025. [WKBL]

Hana Bank, which finished last season with a 9-21 record, currently leads the league at 10-3 following her arrival. Iijima is averaging 15.8 points per game, placing her third in the league, while also grabbing six rebounds a game, which ranks 10th leaguewide. All the while, her defensive play has made her an irreplaceable part of the team.

On Monday, she became the first player in the league drafted under the Asian quota to win a Round MVP award. Hana Bank fans have dubbed her Sagi-kae — a play on her first name and gaming slang that likens a character's performance to an unfair advantage.

Byun So-jung of Team Ponibl greets fans after being named MVP of the WKBL All-Star Festival held at Sajik Gymnasium in Busan on Jan. 4. [YONHAP]

Asian quota players can earn a maximum monthly salary of 12 million won, which applies only for the roughly 10-month-long WKBL season. Despite earning less than her Korean teammates, however, Iijima’s popularity is unrivaled, the product of her elite play. In that sense, this year’s All-Star Game was a reflection of the challenges facing Korean women’s basketball.

Iijima’s success is partly thanks to the guidance of coaches Lee and Park Jung-eun. But it also highlights a troubling truth: The level of competition in the WKBL is noticeably lower than that of Japan. One club representative noted, “Because the WKBL is slower-paced than the Japanese league, it provides the perfect stage for Iijima to showcase both her offensive and defensive abilities.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY PIH JU-YOUNG [[email protected]]