Former national basketball team player Choo Seung-gyun’s announcement of his retirement Thursday was an emotional moment.

“It’s tough, but I’d like to leave the court while I’m still at my best,” said the 38-year-old forward with the KCC Egis, while announcing his retirement from the country’s top basketball league on Thursday.

“I have no regrets. I think I’ve had quite a successful career,” Choo said at a news conference in southern Seoul.

Sitting next to KCC’s manager Hur Jae, wearing a dark suit, Choo spoke quietly, holding back his emotion.

“I’ve played 15 seasons, so many games. I believe this is the perfect time for me to call it a day,” he said.

Since his debut in 1997, Choo has played all 15 seasons with the KCC Egis, formerly known as the Daejeon Hyundai.

Although he never rose to stardom in the Korean Basketball League, Choo was the KCC’s most indispensible player.

With his diligent and industrious play, he won five championship titles with the team.

Despite his age, Choo made 13 consecutive All-Star teams until this season. Most notably, he was a key figure in the KCC’s successful championship run in the 2008-2009 season, averaging 17.9 points during the playoffs.

Choo played in 738 regular season games, scoring a total of 10,019 points, averaging 13.6 points, 2.8 assists and 2.3 rebounds.

This season, he averaged 8.2 points and 1.9 assists off the bench, providing invaluable leadership both on and off the court.

“I’ve been planning to retire before coming into this season,” Choo said.

Choo noted that he is proud of himself for having been able to play for 15 years without a major injury.

“I think I can give myself 93 out of 100 points for my basketball career. I’m probably not the best player, but I think I played my best in every game,” he added.

Hur admitted that Choo’s retirement would be a big blow to the team, which also lost its star center Ha Seung-jin due to military duty.

“I wanted to keep him, but I respect his decision,” Hur said.

Choo was vague about his future plans, mentioning only that he wants some time off with his family.

“I have yet to decide whether I can start a coaching career. I’ll think about it later,” Choo added.

By Oh Kyu-wook (596story@heraldcorp.com)