Park Ji-su Secures Fifth Career MVP as KB Stars Dominate WKBL Regular Season

In a league defined by dominance, Park Ji-su has once again cemented her status as the gold standard of South Korean women’s basketball. On Monday, April 6, 2026, at a ceremony held at the Seoul Dragon City Hotel in Yongsan-gu, the KB Stars center was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) for the BNK Financial 2025-2026 Women’s Professional Basketball regular season.

This marking of Park’s fifth career MVP award is more than just a personal milestone; it is a statement of longevity and consistency in a high-pressure environment. The 28-year-old “National Treasure Center” led the KB Stars to a regular season championship, proving that her presence in the paint remains the most formidable obstacle for any opponent in the league.

An Unprecedented Internal Battle

While the MVP race is typically a battle between rival teams, this season’s honors were a family affair. In a rare occurrence, the top three candidates for the award all hailed from the same roster. Park Ji-su secured the trophy with 53 votes out of 119 cast by the press corps.

Her teammates followed closely behind, reflecting the collective strength of the KB Stars’ championship run. Guard Heo Ye-eun finished second with 31 votes, while shooter Kang Yi-seul took third with 24 votes. The concentration of talent was so high that Park admitted she was genuinely uncertain about the outcome.

“I really didn’t expect to win this time,” Park said during the ceremony. “It was interesting that three people from my team competed. Ye-eun appealed that she played all 30 games, and Yi-seul sister showed great performance as a shooter… I thought I wouldn’t receive it.”

Despite the competition, Park noted that the shared candidacy made the achievement more meaningful. “I enjoyed the moment that the three of us became candidates,” she added. “It’s more special than when I received the MVP two years ago.”

Chasing the All-Time Record

With five MVP trophies now in her collection, Park Ji-su is rapidly closing in on the all-time record. She currently shares the title of most MVP awards among active players with Park Hye-jin. While, the ultimate benchmark remains Jung Sun-min, who holds the record with seven regular season MVP awards.

Park did not hide her ambition to surpass that mark. Having already secured awards in the 2018-2019, 2020-2021, 2021-2022, and 2023-2024 seasons, this latest win puts her in a joint second place for the most all-time awards. For a global audience following the WKBL, this trajectory suggests a player who is not content with mere excellence, but is actively pursuing historical immortality.

For context, the MVP award in the WKBL is a reflection of both individual statistical dominance and the team’s overall success. Park’s ability to anchor the defense while serving as the offensive focal point for the regular season champions makes her the definitive choice for the honor.

A Legacy of Dominance

The 2025-2026 season serves as a testament to Park’s evolution as a player. While her physical presence has always been a factor, her leadership within the KB Stars’ ecosystem has become a primary driver of their success. The synergy between Park’s interior presence, Heo Ye-eun’s playmaking, and Kang Yi-seul’s perimeter shooting created a balanced attack that the rest of the league struggled to contain.

As the KB Stars celebrate their regular season victory, the focus now shifts toward the broader goal of a combined championship. Park has expressed a drive to return to the top of the podium for a total championship win, a goal she is pursuing with a renewed focus on defensive strategies.

The ceremony at the Seoul Dragon City Hotel concluded with Park posing for photos and kissing her trophy, a moment of reflection for a player who has spent nearly a decade as the face of the league. As the WKBL moves forward, the narrative remains centered on whether Park can bridge the gap to Jung Sun-min’s record of seven.

The next confirmed checkpoint for the KB Stars will be their pursuit of the integrated championship title, as they look to translate their regular season dominance into a postseason trophy.