Lee Hyun-jung, 26, the ace of South Korea's men's national basketball team, returned home with an Asian Games gold medal and immediately set his sights back on the National Basketball Association.
Arriving at Incheon International Airport with the national team on the 21st, Lee credited his teammates for the title. "This was not something I achieved alone. It was a valuable result that came from the sacrifice and effort of the entire squad," he said.
South Korea, coached by Nikolajs Mazurs, beat Japan 67-57 in the final on the 20th to claim its first Asian Games basketball gold in 12 years, since the 2014 Incheon Games. It was the country's first title at an Asian Games held outside Korea since the 1982 New Delhi Games, 44 years ago.
Lee posted a double-double with 27 points and 18 rebounds in the final, emerging as the biggest contributor to the victory. He nonetheless played down his performance, rating it 70 to 80 out of 100. "There is really no game I am satisfied with. There were moments when I gave up rebounds or missed free throws, and I should have managed the game more coolly," he said. "Without the 11 players and the coaching staff on the bench, I would not exist either."
With the title, Lee also wrote a distinctive record: a mother-and-son pair of gold medalists 36 years apart. His mother, Sung Jung-ah, now a director at the Korea Basketball Association, won gold at the 1990 Beijing Games. "My mother is someone who always keeps me humble," he said. "Standing at the top as a member of the South Korean national team is itself the greatest honor."
The gold medal also settled Lee's mandatory military service, and his attention now returns to the United States. He signed a one-year non-guaranteed contract, known as an Exhibit 10, with the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers shortly before the tournament, and will join the team's training camp starting on the 29th to compete for a roster spot in earnest.
Lee chose to pursue the NBA again rather than remain settled with Nagasaki Velca in Japan's B.League for the 2025-26 season. "This is part of the process of chasing my dream, so I made a choice I will not regret. Even I am curious and excited about my future as I continue this challenge," he said. "I will enjoy the joy of the gold medal only through today, and then get ready for a fierce new start in the United States."
