Lee Hyun-jung may become the second South Korean to enter the NBA after leading the national basketball team to a gold medal at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. On September 20, at the Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, South Korea defeated the host nation Japan 67-57 in the men's basketball final, securing the gold medal. Overcome with emotion, Lee shed tears of joy after the victory.
This marks South Korea's first gold medal in basketball at the Asian Games since the 2014 Incheon Asian Games, ending a 12-year drought. Coincidentally, the team has now won gold every 12 years, following victories in the 2002 Busan Asian Games and the 2014 Incheon Asian Games. This achievement is particularly significant as it is the first time in 44 years that South Korea has won gold in basketball at an away Asian Games, with the last being in New Delhi in 1982. The previous cycles for the Bangkok and New Delhi Asian Games also occurred every 12 years.
With this victory, Lee has alleviated concerns about interruptions to his overseas basketball career due to military service. Prior to the Asian Games, he signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers, which is not a formal contract, meaning he will need to compete for a spot on the roster.
Lee's strength lies in his shooting ability. In the final, he scored 27 points, grabbed 18 rebounds, and achieved a 63% success rate from three-point range. In the semifinals against Iran, he recorded 26 points and 14 rebounds, including seven three-pointers, with a 54% shooting rate from beyond the arc.
Despite the significant gap between the NBA and Asian basketball, Lee must leverage his shooting skills to compete for a roster spot rather than solely being the team's star player. However, he can now fully focus on basketball and has gained time to prepare for his NBA challenge. Observers are keen to see if he can follow in the footsteps of Ha Seung-jin and become the second South Korean player in the NBA.
Additionally, Lee follows in the footsteps of his mother, Sung Jeong-ah, who also won a gold medal at the Asian Games. She achieved this feat at the 1990 Beijing Asian Games and also earned silver medals at the 1982 New Delhi and 1986 Seoul Asian Games. Sung Jeong-ah is a legendary figure in South Korean women's basketball, having won a silver medal at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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