SBS’s new sports reality show “Rising Eagles” held a press conference on Wednesday at SBS Hall in Gangseo District, western Seoul, just days before its first broadcast on Nov. 29.

During the event, the production team and cast posed for photos, introduced the program’s concept and shared some behind-the-scenes stories from filming.

“I was so happy to achieve a childhood dream through the Rising Eagles basketball team,” Minho told reporters. “Through this program, I could experience a little of what real athletes feel. I wondered when I’d ever get the chance to feel something like that again. It was a truly precious and unforgettable experience.”

“Once I got here, I realized everyone was serious about basketball,” Johnny said. “Once the game starts, our team members become scary — people who never speak informally suddenly do, and people who never swear suddenly swear. Since I sat on the bench a lot at first, I saw everything, and it took me a while to adapt,” he added, drawing laughter from the room.

The Rising Eagles team is led by basketball star–turned–entertainer Seo Jang-hoon as head coach and features a diverse lineup of talent including Minho from SHINee as captain, NCT’s Johnny, 2AM’s Jeong Jin-woon, singer Son Tae-jin, actors Oh Seung-hoon, Park Eun-seok and Kim Taek, model-actors Moon Soo-in and Lee Dae-hee, influencer Jung Kyu-min and sports broadcaster Park Chan-woong.

A highlight video was also screened during the event, offering a glimpse of what viewers can expect from the program, including the Rising Eagles’ first exhibition match in the Philippines against the local celebrity team Kuys Showtime.

“Our goal is for the players to work sincerely, grow and feel the thrill of victory,” coach Seo Jang-hoon said when asked what sets the program apart. “We had almost no time to prepare because everyone’s schedules were so packed, so at first, everything was sloppy. But as time passes, you’ll see real progress and genuine emotions unfold. It’s not ‘celebrities casually playing basketball’ — they truly played like athletes,” he added.

“Rising Eagles” will premiere on Saturday at 5 p.m. on SBS.

The following images show the cast posing for photos during the media event.

BY DANIELA GONZALEZ PEREZ [gp.daniela@joongang.co.kr]