[anchor]
Did you know that we once had a player named Most Valuable Player at a world championship where all of the world’s basketball powers competed?

Park Shin-ja, the legendary star who won the 1967 Women’s Basketball World Championship as the best player in the world,안전놀이터 is making a meaningful visit to her homeland.

Reporter Jae-won Heo reports.

[Reporter]
The Park Shin-ja Cup basketball tournament was an international competition with 10 teams from four countries.

Mrs. Park Shin-ja, a legendary Korean basketball star who is now well into her eighties, hands over the trophy in the shape of herself.

Park, who lives in the United States, returned to her homeland for the first time in eight years since 2015, when the inaugural Park Shin-jah Cup was held.

[Ms. PARK SHIN-JA / WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: Many of my friends passed away while I was away for about 10 years, and I (decided) that I should go and see (them) while I can still walk.]

Mrs. Park Shin-ja is a legendary star in the history of Korean sports.

She led our national team to a runner-up finish at the 1967 World Championships and was named the Most Valuable Player.

In 2021, she became the first Asian to be inducted into the International Basketball Federation Hall of Fame in the Player category.

[Video of Park’s reaction to his induction into the Hall of Fame in 2021: Basketball has been my whole life. I feel like I’ve been given a great gift. I’m happy].

In her hometown, which she revisited after eight years, Park smiled as she watched her granddaughters play,

She also had a great time catching up with family members she had missed.

As the living legend of Korean basketball wrapped up her visit to her homeland, which she hopes to return to again soon, she shared some warm words of encouragement for the younger generation.

[Park Shin-ja / Women’s basketball legend: I hope (the junior players) do their best, and I’ll be very happy if they can have a tournament in the name of another player next time, not Park Shin-ja].

YTN’s Heo Jae-won.

Video Editor: Kim Hye-jung

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