JYP Entertainment (hereafter JYP), home to groups such as Twice and Stray Kids, has taken the lead in creating a healthy leisure culture and supporting medical expenses for underprivileged children through an amateur charity basketball tournament.

JYP held the amateur charity basketball tournament, the ‘JYP Basketball Tournament’ (hereafter JYPBT), at the Yonsei University Gymnasium in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul for a total of four days from November 30 to December 1 and December 7 to 8. The finals and event matches held on the 8th were live streamed on the ‘JYPBT’ official YouTube channel, and the game commentary was provided by basketball commentators Jo Hyun-il, Kim Eun-hye, Jeong Yong-geom, Kim Il-doo, and Han Jang-hee.

This competition garnered a lot of attention from sports people as it was an opportunity to actively participate in donating to support the treatment costs of children with cancer in addition to participating in the tournament. In particular, a total of 27 domestic basketball club teams participated, including the ‘BPM’ team, in which JYP‘s representative producer Park Jin-young himself played as a player, as well as the ‘Owls’, ‘Black Label’, and ‘J. Crew’.

In the men’s middle-aged division, the ‘MSA’ team, which stood out for its experienced game management and organizational skills, rose to the top after a fierce battle, while in the men‘s general division, the ‘Owls’ team, which boasted individual skills and perfect teamwork, won the championship. In the women’s general division, the ‘LM’ team, which showed a splendid performance, won a dramatic victory and received applause from the audience. Each winning team was awarded 5 million won and a special trophy, and the runner-up team was awarded 2 million won.

In addition to watching the exciting games, various events that gave the audience a special experience also raised the heat. The ‘JYP Challenge’, an event where artists and basketball players team up on the day of the finals, shoot from various locations within a given time limit, and donate money under the name of the team with the highest score, and the 5-on-5 match between celebrities known as basketball enthusiasts, such as Park Jin-young, Jung Jin-woon, Kim Tae-woo, Moon Soo-in, Yoo Hee-kwan, Jo Jin-se, and Jeon Tae-poong, and current and former professional players, such as Moon Kyung-eun, Woo Ji-won, Kim Dan-bi, Choi Yoon-ah, Lee Kyu-seop, Kim Seung-chan, Lee Seung-jun, and Yang Woo-seop, heightened the excitement.

In addition, Wilson, which provides the official basketball of the NBA, provided the official ball, souvenirs, uniforms for the participating teams, and made donations as an official sponsor of the tournament, while Aramark, a global food service company, practiced sharing by providing free hot dogs that can be enjoyed at NBA stadiums.

The total of 66.4 million won raised through ‘JYPBT’, including the participation fees of all participating teams and donations from JYP and sponsors, will be used for the treatment of underprivileged children through Samsung Seoul Hospital. At the closing ceremony, KBL Commissioner Lee Soo-kwang said in his commemorative speech, “I am happy to be here to share love and hope through basketball. KBL will continue to show interest in this meaningful event.”

Park Jin-young said at the closing ceremony, “Through this tournament, we were able to show that basketball can create a healthy leisure culture and become a place for sharing that supports the treatment costs of sick children. I would like to thank everyone who participated and we will continue to hold meaningful events like this in the future.”


Reporter Yoo Ji-hye yjh0304@donga.com