(Asiad) Mother of men's basketball champion proud of son, excited to see further growth

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NAGOYA, Japan, Sept. 21 (Yonhap) -- Soon after South Korea clinched the Asian Games gold in men's basketball Sunday night in Japan, Seong Jeong-a, former women's national team star, got on the phone with her son, the sharpshooting forward Lee Hyun-jung.

Lee had just led South Korea to a 67-57 win over Japan, scoring 27 points and grabbing 18 rebounds. The apple has not fallen too far from the tree, with Seong herself having won the 1990 Asian Games gold medal, in addition to silver at the 1984 Olympics.

"I told him I was so proud of him for the job well done," said Seong, currently executive director for the Korea Basketball Association. "And Hyun-jung just kept saying, 'This feels so good.' We don't have to say much to each other. We just know how we feel."

Lee's father, Lee Yoon-hwan, was also a basketball player. It may seem like Hyun-jung was destined to be a basketball man himself, but Seong insisted she never wanted him to be one.

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)

"Because I experienced an athletic career myself, I didn't want him to go through the same thing. But he just loved the game so much I could never stop him," Seong recalled, "He claims he wanted to grow up to be a basketball player ever since he was five years old and that dream never once changed. I remember him throwing things into a basket as a boy whenever he had a chance."

Asked how she raised her son to be such a good player, Seong laughed and said, "I was a very strict mother. I only remember scolding him. He basically raised himself while living overseas."

Lee moved to Australia at 17 to enroll at an international basketball academy and played college basketball for Davidson, best known as alma mater for National Basketball Association (NBA) legend Stephen Curry.

At 202 centimeters, Lee has the body of a big man for South Korea with the shooting touch of a guard and toughness of an old-school power forward. Though he was South Korea's best shooter at the Asian Games, Lee was also its best rebounder and recorded the most steals for the team, never afraid to bang bigger bodies down low to battle for rebounds and start fast breaks.

Seong said Lee's biggest strength is his ability to read the game, not his shooting or toughness. And the mother also marveled at Lee's work ethic and dedication to his craft.

"I know how it is as a former player. There were days when I just wanted to take a break," Seong said. "But Hyun-jung tells me he is always itching to get going whenever he takes time off. I sometimes wonder if he truly loves the sport or if he just becomes too anxious when he is not training."

South Korean basketball player Lee Hyun-jung (C) poses with his parents, both of them former basketball players, Lee Yoon-hwan (L) and Seong Jeong-a, in this photo provided by Seong on Sept. 21, 2026. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

Lee said after Sunday's victory that he barely had time to savor his gold medal, because he would have to travel to the United States for the start of NBA training camp.

Just days before the Asian Games, Lee signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Portland Trail Blazers. It is a non-guaranteed deal that offers a minimum salary with an invite to training camp.

As Lee takes another crack at the NBA, having earlier played in the second-tier G League, Seong was worried about the stress that will surely accompany that journey.

"He may be a star in Korea but he will just be one of many unknown players in America," he said. "I am worried how he will be able to survive there. It just breaks my heart because he never really shows how tough things are for him."

Seong said she still has the utmost trust in his son.

"I cannot wait to see just how far he can go," she said. "He is never content with himself. I think he will continue to improve until the day he retires. He always strives to get better. I am worried that he may burn himself out but you need that sort of drive to get better."

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(Asiad) Mother of men's basketball champion proud of son, excited to see further growth

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日本名古屋，9 月 21 日（韩联社）——周日晚，韩国男篮在日本亚运会上夺得金牌后不久，前女篮国家队球星成贞娥就给她的儿子、神射手前锋李贤贞打了个电话。

李娜刚刚带领韩国队以67比57战胜日本队，她个人拿下27分18篮板。李娜可谓是虎父无犬女，她的母亲成金也曾获得1990年亚运会金牌，以及1984年奥运会银牌。

“我告诉他，我为他出色的工作感到非常自豪，”现任韩国篮球协会执行董事的成说道。“而贤正只是不停地说，‘这种感觉真好。’我们之间不需要说太多，我们彼此都明白对方的感受。”

李贤正的父亲李允焕也是一名篮球运动员。贤正似乎注定要成为一名篮球运动员，但成女士坚持说她绝不希望他走这条路。

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）

“因为我自己有过运动员的经历，我不想让他重蹈覆辙。但他太热爱篮球了，我根本阻止不了他，”成回忆道，“他说他从五岁起就梦想成为一名篮球运动员，这个梦想从未改变过。我记得他小时候一有机会就往篮筐里扔东西。”

当被问及如何将儿子培养成如此优秀的球员时，成笑着说：“我是一个非常严格的母亲。我只记得我骂过他。他基本上是在海外自学成才的。”

李在 17 岁时移居澳大利亚，进入一所国际篮球学院学习，并为戴维森学院打大学篮球，该学院最著名的是培养出了美国国家篮球协会 (NBA) 传奇人物斯蒂芬·库里的母校。

李身高202厘米，拥有韩国大个子的体格，却兼具后卫的投篮手感和老派大前锋的强硬作风。虽然他是韩国队在亚运会上的最佳射手，但同时也是篮板王，抢断次数也位列全队第一。他从不畏惧在内线与身材高大的球员对抗，拼抢篮板并发起快攻。

成先生说，李最大的优势在于他对比赛的解读能力，而不是他的投篮或强硬程度。李的母亲也对李的职业精神和对篮球的执着赞叹不已。

“作为一名前球员，我深有体会。有时候我也只想休息一下，”成说。“但贤正告诉我，他每次休息完都迫不及待地想要开始训练。我有时会想，他究竟是真心热爱这项运动，还是只是不训练的时候会变得焦虑不安。”

韩国篮球运动员李贤正（中）与他的父母——前篮球运动员李允焕（左）和成正雅——合影。这张照片由成正雅于2026年9月21日提供。（照片非卖品）（韩联社）

李在周日夺冠后表示，他几乎没有时间享受金牌的喜悦，因为他必须前往美国参加NBA训练营的开始。

就在亚运会开幕前几天，李宗伟与波特兰开拓者队签下了一份Exhibit 10合同。这是一份非保障性合同，提供最低工资，并邀请他参加训练营。

李在之前效力于二级联赛发展联盟之后，再次向NBA发起冲击，成担心这段旅程必然会带来巨大的压力。

“他或许在韩国是明星，但在美国他只会是众多默默无闻的球员之一，”他说。“我担心他能否在那里生存下去。这让我很心痛，因为他从未真正表现出自己有多艰难。”

Seong表示她仍然对自己的儿子充满信心。

“我迫不及待地想看看他究竟能走多远，”她说。“他从不满足于现状。我认为他会一直进步到退役的那一天。他总是力求变得更好。我担心他会过度劳累，但要想进步，就必须有这种动力。”

jeeho@yna.co.kr (完)

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