Lee Dong-jun (born Daniel Sandrin; 27 January 1980) is an American-born South Korean basketball player.

Career

Lee began his basketball career playing for the

University of Portland The University of Portland (UP) is a private Catholic university in Portland, Oregon, United States. It was founded in 1901 and is affiliated with the Congregation of Holy Cross, which also founded UP's sister school, the University of Notre Da ...

in the 1998–1999 season, appearing in eight games and scoring an average of 1 points. He transferred to

Seattle Pacific University Seattle Pacific University (SPU) is a private Christian university in Seattle, Washington, United States. It was founded in 1891 in conjunction with the Oregon and Washington Conference of the Free Methodist Church as the Seattle Seminary. It ...

in 2000. After his graduation, he went on to play on professional teams in

Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...

and

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

before coming to

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

in 2006. In South Korea, Lee joined

Yonsei University Yonsei University () is a Private university, private Christian university, Christian research university located in Seoul, South Korea. Yonsei is one of the three most prestigious universities in the country, part of a group referred to as SK ...

's team in March 2006. Lee's participation in university basketball was controversial because he was not a South Korean citizen and he had previously played in professional leagues in Europe. Even after he naturalised,

Korea University Korea University (KU, ) is a Private university, private research university in Seoul, South Korea. Established in 1905 by Yi Yong-ik, Lee Yong-Ik, a prominent official of the Korean Empire, Korea University is among South Korea's oldest List of ...

continued to object to his participation due to his professional experience; after he was ruled ineligible, a physical altercation broke out at a September 2006 match between Yonsei University and Korea University. Coming to South Korea was a difficult adjustment for Lee in terms of culture and language. Philippine Olympic Committee president Monico Puentevella stated in media interviews that Sandrin had told him "he couldn’t relate with the Koreans because they hardly speak English … he felt more comfortable with our team. Nevertheless, Lee stated that he relished the opportunity to live in the country and learn more about his roots. Lee would go on to play professionally in the

Korean Basketball League The Korean Basketball League () or simply KBL is a professional men's basketball league in South Korea which was established in 1997. The league consists of ten teams and each team plays a total of 54 games (27 home and 27 away) in the regular s ...

for the

Daegu Orions Goyang Sono Skygunners () is a professional basketball club based in Goyang, South Korea which plays in the Korean Basketball League. History Dayone Sports era (2022–2023) Rumours of Orion selling its stake in the club intensified in earl ...

. He later moved to the

Seoul Samsung Thunders Seoul Samsung Thunders () is a professional basketball team, competing in the Korean Basketball League. Ever since the club was founded in 1978, they have been associated with Samsung Electronics. Initially based in Suwon, they relocated to Seoul ...

. In January 2013 he and elder brother Lee Seung-jun were booked on assault charges in

Mapo District Mapo District () is one of the 25 districts of Seoul, South Korea. Mapo has a population of 381,330 (2015) and has a geographic area of 23.87 km2 (9.22 sq mi), and is divided into 24 '' dong'' (administrative neighborhoods). Mapo is located in ...

, leading to controversy over whether they should be permitted to play in the then-ongoing KBL All-Star Games. On 21 November 2016, it was announced that Lee would serve as one of two

Alab Pilipinas San Miguel Alab Pilipinas (under the corporate name Pilipinas Basketball Club, Inc. or PBCI) was a Filipino professional basketball team which played in the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL) under the sponsorship of San Miguel Corporation. The te ...

' world imports together with his brother Lee Seung-jun.

Personal life

Lee was born into a basketball family: his father was an avid player, and taught the game to Lee's older brother and then to Lee himself. He graduated from

Bothell High School Bothell High School is located in Bothell, Washington, United States, and is one of six high schools in the Northshore School District. Approximately 1,500 students in grades 9 through 12 attend the school, which is a member of the KingCo 4A athl ...

in 1998 before going on to the

and then

. He naturalised as a

South Korean citizen The South Korean nationality law () details the conditions in which an individual is a national of the Republic of Korea (ROK), commonly known as South Korea. Foreign nationals may naturalize after living in the country for at least five yea ...

in June 2006, relinquishing his U.S. citizenship in the process. His elder brother Eric Sandrin followed him to South Korea and in 2009 also naturalised as a South Korean citizen, changing his name to Lee Seung-jun.

References

External links

* *
Profile
at KBL.or.kr {{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Dong-jun 1980 births Living people American emigrants to South Korea Forwards (basketball) Goyang Sono Skygunners players Korean Basketball League players Naturalized citizens of South Korea Former United States citizens San Miguel Alab Pilipinas players Seattle Pacific University alumni Seoul Samsung Thunders players South Korean expatriate sportspeople in the Philippines South Korean expatriate sportspeople in France South Korean men's basketball players South Korean people of American descent University of Portland alumni Naturalised basketball players 21st-century South Korean sportsmen

Career

Personal life

See also

References

External links