Nagoya: No one scored more points, made more three-pointers, grabbed more rebounds, or had more steals in the entire tournament. Considering the stakes, it would not be an exaggeration to say Lee Hyun-jung played the best basketball of his life during his six-game run to the gold medal for South Korea at the Asian Games this month.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Lee poured in 27 points and grabbed 18 boards to help South Korea defeat Japan 67-57 for the gold medal at the Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan, on Sunday. This victory marked the country's first men's basketball gold since 2014. Lee finished with 144 total points in six games, making 25 shots from downtown, with no other player even surpassing 20. He also had 14 steals and tied for the tournament lead with 58 rebounds, despite not being a big man.
Lee shot 52 percent from the field, 47 percent from behind the arc, and 84 percent from the free-throw line. These impressive statistics, even in a small, six-game sample, transformed what was mostly a mediocre team into a tournament champion.
Lee is now the second member of his family to secure an Asian Games gold, following his mother, former center Seong Jeong-a, who helped South Korea achieve the women's title at the 1990 competition in Beijing. At 25, Lee also demonstrated strong leadership skills, engaging in physical battles for rebounds and making smart outlet passes to initiate fast breaks. Throughout the tournament, Lee emphasized maintaining cool and poise, ensuring the job was not considered finished until the final buzzer, while some teammates were excited about the prospect of winning gold.
Team captain Lee Seoung-hyun, 34, expressed his honor in playing alongside such a talented and humble player as Lee Hyun-jung, dubbing him future captain material. Furthermore, Lee will enjoy his national team and professional career without interruption, having earned exemption from mandatory military service with this gold medal.
Lee attended Davidson, the alma mater of NBA superstar Stephen Curry. As a sophomore, he achieved something even Curry did not - shooting 50.8 percent from the field, 44.2 percent from the three-point range, and 90 percent from the free-throw line for the coveted 50-40-90 combination.
Although Lee declared for the NBA draft in 2022, a foot injury days before the draft led him to play in Australia and Japan, including a stint in the second-tier NBA G League. This summer, he played for the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Summer League and attended mini camps for the Boston Celtics and the New Orleans Pelicans. Just before the Asian Games, Lee signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Portland Trail Blazers, a one-year, non-guaranteed pact offering a minimum salary with an invite to training camp.
With NBA camps opening next week, Lee's gold medal-winning performance has bolstered his prospects. He will now aim to become just the second South Korean to play in the NBA, following former center Ha Seung-jin.