| Heo Il-young | |
| Height Ft: | 6 |
| Height In: | 5 |
| Weight Lb: | 201 |
| Position: | Forward |
| Birth Date: | 5 August 1985 |
| Birth Place: | Busan, South Korea |
| League: | Korean Basketball League |
| Team: | Seoul SK Knights |
| Number: | 11 |
| Nationality: | South Korean |
| Highschool: | Dong-a High School |
| College: | Konkuk University |
| Career Start: | 2009 |
| Years1: | 2009–2021 |
| Team1: | Daegu Orions / Goyang Orion Orions |
| Years2: | 2012–2014 |
| Team2: | → Sangmu (military service) |
| Years3: | 2021– |
| Team3: | Seoul SK Knights |
| Highlights: |
|
| Korean name | |
| Hangul: | 허일영 |
| Hanja: | 許日寧 |
| Rr: | Heo Il-yeong |
| Mr: | Hŏ Ilyŏng |
Heo Il-young (born August 5, 1985) is a South Korean professional basketball player. He plays for Seoul SK Knights in the Korean Basketball League and the South Korean national team.
A native of Busan, Heo grew up playing baseball in elementary school.[1] He was persuaded to switch sports and attended Dong-a High School, one of Busan's most notable high school basketball programs, and was schoolmates with national teammate Kim Tae-sul.[2] As he was taller than most of his peers in high school, he played as a center, before converting into a forward in college.[3]
Heo went on to Konkuk University. During his senior year, he led the unfancied team to the final of the National Basketball Festival, a winter tournament contested by college teams and KBL D-League reserve teams, and was the tournament's top scorer.[4] [5] [6]
Heo was the second overall pick of the 2009 KBL rookie draft and was chosen by Daegu Orions, which later moved to Goyang and became Goyang Orion Orions.[7] [8] Although he came from a lesser-known college basketball program, he emerged as the Orions' brightest prospects and dubbed the team's "solver" due to him scoring decisive points in the fourth quarter of crucial games.[6] He finished his rookie season with an average of 10.5 points in 51 games.[9]
In May 2012, Heo enlisted for mandatory military service and was assigned to the Sangmu team after completing basic training.[10] He was discharged in January 2014.[11] [12]
During the 2019–20, Heo was plagued by a recurring hamstring injury which sidelined him for more than half the season's games.[13] After the 2020-21 season ended, he became a free agent but chose not to renew with the Orions.[14] He signed a three-year contract with Seoul SK Knights ahead of the 2021-22 season.[15] [16]
In 2014, Heo participated in both the World Cup and the Asian Games.[17] [18] He was recalled for the 2018 Asian Games but missed out on the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup.
Heo married his girlfriend of three years in April 2016.[19] They have two children, a son and a daughter.[14]
Heo is a fan of his hometown KBO League team Lotte Giants and has been spotted attending their home matches.[20]