▲ The South Korean men's basketball national team celebrates after defeating Iran 77-51 in the semifinals of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games at the Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan, on the 18th, advancing to the final.
The South Korean men's basketball national team has advanced to the Asian Games final for the first time in 12 years.
Led by head coach Nikolajs Mazurs (Latvia), the national team, ranked 57th in the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) rankings, defeated Iran (ranked 28th) 77-51 in the semifinals of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games held at the Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan, today (the 18th).
With this victory, the men's basketball team has secured the first silver medal for the South Korean delegation at this tournament.
Although the opening ceremony for this tournament is scheduled for the 19th, the men's basketball competition began on the 10th, leading to today's semifinal match.
South Korea has reached the final stage of the Asian Games men's basketball tournament for the first time in 12 years since the 2014 Incheon Games, where they won the gold medal.
After winning the bronze medal at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games and suffering an early elimination in the quarterfinals to finish at a record-low seventh place at the 2022 Hangzhou Games held in 2023, the men's basketball team has successfully restored its pride by advancing to the final in this tournament.
The national team also broke the so-called "Iran jinx."
Prior to this match, South Korea led Iran 13 wins to 10 losses in head-to-head matches between the national teams. However, after winning the final at the Incheon Asian Games, they had suffered six consecutive losses up to the classification match at the Hangzhou Asian Games, before finally defeating them today.
The national team will face the winner of the match between Japan and China in the final on the 20th.
Having boasted explosive offensive power by scoring triple digits in each of their previous three matches, South Korea encountered Iran's tight defense and played a low-scoring game in the early stages.
After taking the initiative with consecutive three-pointers by Lee Jung-hyun (Sono) and Lee Hyun-jung, they were quickly caught, but outside shots from Lee Hyun-jung and Lee Woo-seok (Korea Armed Forces Athletic Corps) exploded consecutively once again to seize control, finishing the first quarter ahead 12-8.
In the second quarter, as both teams' attacks became more active, South Korea began to widen the gap led by Lee Hyun-jung and Lee Woo-seok.
Lee Hyun-jung made a determined tip-in score with about 6 minutes and 10 seconds remaining to make it 21-10, and drained a three-pointer 1 minute and 55 seconds before the end to lead 31-20.
With 33.9 seconds left, Lee Woo-seok completed a three-point play to put South Korea ahead 34-22, and right before the end of the second quarter, Lee Woo-seok scored a paint shot following a pass from Lee Hyun-jung, wrapping up the first half with a 36-24 lead.
In the middle of the third quarter, South Korea pulled away to 47-31 with back-to-back perimeter shots from Lee Hyun-jung and Lee Jung-hyun with about 5 minutes and 30 seconds left, and further extended the lead to 50-33 3 minutes and 46 seconds prior with a long-range three-pointer by Lee Hyun-jung.
With 34.8 seconds remaining, Lee Hyun-jung hit another perimeter shot and successfully converted an additional free throw awarded for an opponent's foul for a "four-point play," leading South Korea into the fourth quarter with a 61-37 advantage.
Maintaining a comfortable lead in the fourth quarter while evenly utilizing bench players, South Korea secured a resounding victory to complete their journey to the final.
Lee Hyun-jung shone brightly with a game-high 26 points—including seven three-pointers—along with 14 rebounds, while Lee Woo-seok contributed 19 points and Lee Jung-hyun added 11 points in a joint effort.
On this day, South Korea attempted 33 three-pointers as a team and converted 14, scoring more from beyond the arc than from two-point range (12/26).
Iran managed only 2 makes out of 23 three-point attempts, as South Korea completely dominated the perimeter.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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