South Korea's men's basketball team, back at full strength, routed Jordan behind an explosive 28-point performance from ace Lee Hyun-jung to reach the Asian Games semifinals for the first time in eight years. Korea will face Iran, ranked 28th by the International Basketball Federation, on the 18th for a place in the final.
Korea, ranked 57th, beat Jordan, ranked 41st, 114-80 in the quarterfinals of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games at Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan, on the 16th. Having beaten Saudi Arabia, Indonesia and Japan in succession in the group stage, Korea won its first knockout-round game to advance to the semifinals.
Korea, which won Asian Games gold in 1970, 1982, 2002 and 2014, reached the semifinals for the first time in eight years, since the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games. The team took bronze in 2018 and finished seventh, its worst result ever, after a quarterfinal exit at the 2022 Hangzhou Games held in 2023. By beating Jordan, the runner-up at the last edition, Korea kept alive its bid for a first gold medal in 12 years.
Lee Hyun-jung led the way. Playing just 20 minutes, he scored 28 points with six 3-pointers, along with nine rebounds and five assists. Yoo Ki-sang added 16 points, and Lee Jung-hyun contributed 12 points and six assists.
The roster also grew stronger. Choi Jun-yong, who sat out the group stage as he pursued opportunities in the United States, joined the team and posted six points, two rebounds and three assists. Yeo Jun-seok, who missed the second and third group-stage games with a foot injury, returned to add nine points. Korea also dominated Jordan on the boards, 44-29, and in assists, 36-18, with all 12 players on the roster scoring.
