Ha Seung-Jin

From Hoopedia

Ha Seung-Jin (Hangul: 하승진 Hanja: 河昇鎮 Ha Seungjin, born August 4, 1985 in Seoul) is a South Korean professional basketball player who played in the NBA. He was the first Korean player to play in the NBA. He is currently playing in the NBA Development League (NBA D-League) with the Anaheim Arsenal. Originally from South Korea, he was a second round draft pick (46th overall) of the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2004 NBA Draft. At 7 ft 3 in, 305 lb, he was among the largest players in the NBA.

Before playing in the NBA, Ha played for Yonsei University and Samil Commercial School in South Korea. Ha arrived in Los Angeles, California, U.S. in 2004 to prepare himself for the 2004 NBA Draft. He played briefly with the Portland Reign of the ABA. Ha joined the Blazers in the middle of the 2004-05 season. Ha rarely played in games; however on April 20 against the Los Angeles Lakers he scored a career high 13 points. During the 2005-06 season Ha was assigned to the NBA D-League's Fort Worth Flyers where he played for five games but did not make an impact. When fellow Blazer centers Theo Ratliff and Joel Przybilla were unable to play due to injury, Ha started four games, averaging 11 minutes playing time.

On July 31 2006, Ha was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks in a four-player deal.

Trivia

• His older sister, Ha Eun-Joo, is also a professional basketball player. A 6'8" center, she signed with Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA in February 6, 2006, and was later waived on May 19, 2006 for failing to arrive in LA due to a conflicting contract with Chanson Cosmetics in the Japanese league.