Who was Netflix’s Start-Up star Nam Joo-hyuk before the fame? Meet the K-drama actor, model and Dior Beauty ambassador who idolised NBA player Stephen Curry and model Jang Ki-yong as a teen

Feb 22, 2021

Bae Suzy and Nam Joo-hyuk in a still from Start-Up. Photo: Netflix

Before starring in Cheese in the Trap and Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo, he was a model – and good friends with Stephanie Lee and Lee Sung-kyung

He might have given up on a professional basketball career, but he still showed off his skills in Welcome Back to School and MBC’s Infinite Challenge

Last year was a particularly special one for Korean actor Nam Joo-hyuk: he added more hit K-dramas to his list of credits, including Start-Up and The School Nurse Files, and he even became the ambassador for Dior Beauty. It seems no exaggeration to say Nam may be well on his way to becoming a top K-drama king.

So as he celebrates his 27th birthday on February 22, let’s take a look back at what Nam was like before his rise fame …

He was a basketball player

Nam Joo-hyuk playing basketball during MBC Hanstar Celebrity Basketball Match. Photo: @skawngur_com/ Twitter

Born and raised in Busan, Nam was passionate about basketball when he was a kid. During an appearance on talk show Radio Star he revealed that he even dreamt of becoming a basketball player during his middle school years. He attended Gyeongnam Middle School in Busan, which was one of three middle schools in the area that offered basketball teams back then. The school was located far from Nam’s home, requiring him to take a long bus ride every day. During that time he took the position of the point and shooting guard.

Nam Joo-hyuk playing basketball during a MBC Hanstar Celebrity Basketball match. Photo: @bignam_china/Twitter

Nam showed off his skills on an episode of Welcome Back to School. We might even go so far to say that he’s more than qualified to play professionally. Unfortunately, he had to quit due to getting surgery on both his legs after an injury. Although he eventually pursued a career in entertainment instead, his passion for sports continued – he even got a chance to play basketball with his idol, Stephen Curry, during an episode of MBC’s Infinite Challenge.

He won a beauty pageant sponsored by YG KPlus