Park Ji-hyun

Park Ji-hyun (; born 7 April 2000) is a South Korean basketball player for the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She previously played for the Bankstown Bruins of the NBL1 East, and the Asan Woori Bank Wibee of the Women's Korean Basketball League (WKBL). Park also plays for the South Korean national team.

Early life Park's interest in sports began from an early age and she started playing basketball in elementary school with her older brother. As a student at Soongeui Girls' High School, she stood out for her versatility, earning a call-up to the senior national team for the 2018 Asian Games. She was the first Korean female basketball player to receive an invitation to the "Basketball Without Borders" Global Camp in 2018 and was one of the All-Stars.

Professional career

WKBL In 2018, Park was drafted first overall in the first round of the WKBL draft and began her professional career with the Asan Woori Bank Wibee for the 2018-19 season. In 2019, she won the WKBL Rookie Award for the 2018-19 season.

During the 2020-21 season, she averaged 15.4 points, 10.4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1.7 steals, 1.2 blocks per game and was named to the WKBL League Best 5.

NBL1 In May 2024, Park signed with the Bankstown Bruins of the NBL1 East. She was contracted with the Bruins until August 2024.

WNBA Park went undrafted in the 2020 WNBA draft.

On 14 April 2026, it was announced that Park had signed a training camp contract with the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).

National team career

Youth teams Park represented South Korea at the 2016 FIBA Under-17 World Championship for Women in Spain. In six games, she led the tournament with 16.5 points per game and also averaged 7.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 3.3 steals and 0.7 blocks per game. In a game against the United States, Park recorded 17 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals in a matchup against Charli Collier, the first overall pick in the 2021 WNBA Draft.

Park also played at the 2017 FIBA Under-19 Women’s Basketball World Cup in Italy and led the team in points (15.1), rebounds (5.6), assists (3.3) and steals (3.3).

At the 2019 FIBA Under-19 Women’s Basketball World Cup in Bangkok, Thailand, Park led the tournament with 16.4 points per game and 3.9 steals per game. Park posted 26 points, 7 rebounds, 4 steals and 1 block in a loss against the United States (highlights) and future WNBA prospects Paige Bueckers, Ashley Joens, and Aliyah Boston. After the game, U.S. coach Jeff Walz commented "She’s talented, she really put it to us in our game. We had a really hard time defending her. She scored behind the three-point line, she drove and hit the pull-up jump shot. She’s a very good basketball player."

Personal life Park has an older brother Park Ji-won, who is also a professional basketball player. He played college basketball for Yonsei University and was drafted by Suwon KT Sonicboom in 2020.