(LEAD) (Asiad) Forward lifts S. Korea to men's hoops gold with sharpshooting, leadership

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(ATTN: ADDS quotes throughout) By Kim Boram

NAGOYA, Japan, Sept. 20 (Yonhap) -- 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.

Lee poured in 27 points and grabbed 18 boards to help South Korea beat Japan 67-57 for the gold medal at Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan, on Sunday, the country's first men's hoops gold since 2014.

Lee finished with 144 total points in six games. He drained 25 shots from downtown, with no one else even over 20, and also had 14 steals. Despite not being a big man, the 202-centimeter forward tied for the tournament lead with 58 rebounds.

Lee Hyun-jung of South Korea (R) high-fives fans after winning gold in men's basketball at the Asian Games at Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan, on Sept. 20, 2026. (Yonhap)

Lee shot 52 percent from the field, 47 percent from behind the arc, and 84 percent from the charity stripe. Even in a small, six-game sample, these are gaudy numbers that can turn what has mostly been a mediocre team into a tournament champion.

"I just shot when I had a chance and went after the rebounds," Lee said during a mixed-zone interview. "I know Japan's Alex Kirk is a strong rebounder, but he is a little slow in transition after losing a rebound. So I thought it would be easier if I went after more rebounds."

He is now the second member of his family with an Asian Games gold, after his mother, former center Seong Jeong-a, lifted South Korea to the women's title at the 1990 competition in Beijing.

"She didn't say much to me. She just told me to be myself in a calm, cool-headed way," Lee said. "I think I am very lucky that she is my mother. She has helped me become a better player while teaching me to remain humble."

Lee, 25, also brought plenty of intangibles as a leader. He hardly shied away from physical battles down low for rebounds and made some smart outlet passes to start fast breaks. And throughout the tournament, Lee preached cool and poise and insisted the job was not going to be done until the final buzzer of the final, while some of his teammates might have been guilty of getting too excited about the prospect of winning gold.

Team captain Lee Seoung-hyun, 34, even said he was honored to play with a player as talented and humble as Lee Hyun-jung on the national team, and dubbed him a future captain material.

And Lee will get to enjoy his national team and professional career without interruption, after earning exemption from the mandatory military service with this gold medal.

"I think this gold medal is important because I want to go further on the global stage," he said. "But I don't think this is the end of my national team career. I will make a constant effort to live up to our fans' expectations."

Lee Hyun-jung of South Korea smiles during the victory ceremony after winning gold in men's basketball at the Asian Games at Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan, on Sept. 20, 2026. (Yonhap)

Lee attended Davidson, best known as alma mater for National Basketball Association (NBA) superstar Stephen Curry. As a sophomore, Lee accomplished something that even Curry never did -- 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.

Lee declared for the NBA draft in 2022 but suffered a foot injury only days before the draft. He has since spent time playing in Australia and Japan, with a short stint in the second-tier NBA G League.

This summer, he played for the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Summer League and later attended mini camps for the Boston Celtics and the New Orleans Pelicans. Then just before the Asian Games, Lee signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Portland Trail Blazers. It is a one-year, non-guaranteed pact that offers a minimum salary with an invite to training camp.

With NBA camps opening next week, Lee helped himself with his gold medal-winning performance here. He will now try to become just the second South Korean to play in the NBA, after former center Ha Seung-jin.

"There are so many things I want to do. I want to play in the World Cup, the Olympics and the NBA," he said. "And I want to hear people say that South Korean basketball is not weak, but strong."

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(LEAD) (Asiad) Forward lifts S. Korea to men's hoops gold with sharpshooting, leadership

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（注意：全文添加引用）金宝蓝

日本名古屋，9月20日（韩联社）——在整个亚运会上，无人能及李贤廷的得分、三分球命中数、篮板数和抢断数。考虑到比赛的重要性，毫不夸张地说，李贤廷在本月亚运会韩国队夺得金牌的六场比赛中，打出了他职业生涯的最佳水平。

周日，在位于日本名古屋的爱知国际体育馆举行的比赛中，李勇浩砍下 27 分并抢下 18 个篮板，帮助韩国队以 67-57 击败日本队，夺得金牌，这是韩国自 2014 年以来首次获得男子篮球金牌。

李在六场比赛中总共得到144分。他投进了25个三分球，而其他球员的三分球命中数均未超过20个，此外他还贡献了14次抢断。尽管身材并不高大，这位身高202厘米的前锋仍然以58个篮板并列锦标赛篮板王。

2026年9月20日，在日本名古屋爱知国际体育馆举行的亚运会男子篮球比赛中，韩国选手李贤廷（右）获得金牌后与球迷击掌庆祝。（韩联社）

李的投篮命中率高达52%，三分球命中率47%，罚球命中率更是达到了84%。即使样本量只有短短六场比赛，这些数据也足以让一支原本平庸的球队一跃成为锦标赛冠军。

“我只要有机会就出手，然后积极抢篮板，”李在混合采访区说道。“我知道日本队的亚历克斯·柯克篮板能力很强，但他丢球后转换进攻的速度有点慢。所以我认为如果我多抢篮板，情况会更容易些。”

他是家中第二个获得亚运会金牌的成员，他的母亲，前中锋成贞娥，曾在1990年北京亚运会上帮助韩国女子队夺得金牌。

李说：“她没跟我多说什么，只是冷静地告诉我做自己。我觉得很幸运，她是我妈妈。她帮助我成为一名更优秀的球员，同时也教会我保持谦逊。”

25岁的李宗伟作为一名领袖，也贡献了许多无形的品质。他从不畏惧在内线拼抢篮板，并且总能送出精准的传球发起快攻。在整个锦标赛期间，李宗伟始终强调冷静沉着，并坚持不到决赛终场哨响，而他的一些队友或许因为过于兴奋而忽略了夺金的希望。

34岁的队长李承铉甚至表示，能与像李贤正这样才华横溢又谦逊的球员一起在国家队效力，他感到非常荣幸，并称他为未来的队长人选。

凭借这枚奥运金牌，李将获得免服兵役的资格，从而可以不受干扰地享受他的国家队和职业生涯。

“我认为这枚金牌意义重大，因为它让我有机会在世界舞台上走得更远，”他说。“但我并不认为这是我国家队生涯的终点。我会不断努力，不辜负球迷的期望。”

2026年9月20日，在日本名古屋爱知国际体育馆举行的亚运会男子篮球比赛中，韩国选手李贤廷获得金牌后，在颁奖仪式上露出笑容。（韩联社）

李就读于戴维森学院，这所学校最著名的就是NBA超级巨星斯蒂芬·库里的母校。大二时，李完成了一项连库里都未曾做到的壮举——投篮命中率高达50.8%，三分球命中率达到44.2%，罚球命中率更是高达90%，三分球、罚球和投篮命中率均达到惊人的50-40-90。

李宣布参加2022年NBA选秀，但在选秀前几天遭遇脚伤。此后，他先后在澳大利亚和日本打球，并在NBA发展联盟短暂效力过一段时间。

今年夏天，他代表圣安东尼奥马刺队参加了NBA夏季联赛，之后又参加了波士顿凯尔特人和新奥尔良鹈鹕队的迷你训练营。就在亚运会前夕，李与波特兰开拓者队签下了一份Exhibit 10合同。这是一份为期一年、非保障性的合同，提供最低工资，并邀请他参加训练营。

NBA训练营下周即将开始，李宗伟凭借此次夺金的出色表现为自己赢得了参赛资格。他将力争成为继前中锋河升镇之后，第二位在NBA打球的韩国球员。

“我有很多想做的事情。我想参加世界杯、奥运会和NBA，”他说。“我还想听到人们说韩国篮球不是弱，而是强。”

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（头条） （亚运会）前锋凭借精准的投篮和出色的领导力，带领韩国男篮夺得金牌