Professional
Kang,along with Lee and Choi,was considered one of the "big 3" of the 2016 KBL rookie draft. [8] [9] [7] He was drafted third overall by Incheon Electroland Elephants. In his first season,he averaged 8.20 points,4.58 rebounds and 0.96 assists as Incheon reached the semi-finals of the playoffs. He won the KBL Rookie of the Year Award. [10] In the 2017–18 season,he averaged 9.63 points,5.24 rebounds and 1.19 assists. In his 3rd season there,he averaged 11.62 points 5.64 rebounds and 1.39 assists. [11] [12]
Kang enlisted for mandatory military service in June 2020 and was assigned to the Sangmu team [ ko ] after completing basic training. [13] [14] His contract ended following the 2020-21 season and he became a free agent. Wonju DB Promy signed him and veteran Park Chan-hee in a trade-off with Doo Kyung-min and announced that Kang would be added to the team roster immediately after his discharge. [15] He was officially discharged on December 1,returning to the team for the remainder of the 2021-22 season. [16] [17]
The next two seasons were largely forgetful as Kang struggled with inconsistent form and injuries. He was named captain by newly-appointed head coach Kim Joo-sung for the upcoming 2023-24 season. [18] During the regular season,he averaged 14 points,6.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists and played a vital role in DB qualifying for the playoffs for the first time since the 2017-18 season (excluding the 2019-20 during which the playoffs were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic). He was named in the KBL Best 5 for the first time in his career and finished runner-up in the voting for the KBL Most Valuable Player Award,which ultimately went to his DB teammate Ethan Alvano. However,he was unable to replicate his form during the playoffs. DB finished first in the regular season standings but were knocked by eventual Championship winners Busan KCC Egis in the playoff semifinals. [19]
Kang became a free agent at the end of the 2023-24 season and re-signed with DB for another five-years. His new contract made him the highest-paid domestic player on the team. [20] DB failed to qualify for the playoffs,finishing seventh in the regular league. Kang posted his worst ever statistic in points per game,averaging only 8.1 points in 40 games. He set a KBL record for the most number of rebounds in a single game by a player without scoring a single point,recording 22 rebounds during the win against Seoul SK Knights in March. It is also the third highest number by a domestic player in a league game. [21] [22]
