Lee Hyun-jung: "I Thought I Needed to Crush Them"... Japanese Fans React with Mixed Feelings

The members of the men's national basketball team, who reached the top by defeating archrival Japan to claim their first gold medal in 12 years at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, shared their honest thoughts right after the match.

In particular, national team sharpshooter Lee Hyun-jung expressed without hesitation his true feelings about the difficult conditions he faced, including the so-called "bus no-show" incident where a scheduled bus failed to arrive before the final, forcing them to cancel training, as well as unfavorable home-biased refereeing during the game.

[Lee Hyun-jung / Men's National Basketball Team : Well, it was a bit absurd. It was absurd and ridiculous, but rather than getting down, it only boosted our fighting spirit. I think telling ourselves just to focus on the game is what worked out well.]

Regarding the absurd incidents that occurred consecutively during this Asian Games, Lee said, "To be honest, when situations like this happen, it makes you think, 'I need to crush them,' but I tend to keep thinking and try to stay cool-headed."

When asked about why he shed tears right after the match, his eyes welled up as he expressed his gratitude toward the foreign head coach and his teammates.

[Lee Hyun-jung / Men's National Basketball Team : Our foreign coach, Mazurs, went through a lot. He came all alone to a foreign land without his own coaching staff... It felt like looking at myself challenging myself overseas, but he didn't yield to those feelings and worked well with us to win the gold medal. I am so grateful to him, and I think that's why I shed so many tears because of the coach.]

Led by head coach Nikolais Mazurs, the South Korean national basketball team defeated Japan 67–57 in the Asian Games basketball final yesterday (September 20) to capture the gold medal.

Lee, who initially seemed to struggle against Japan's pressing defense in the first half, led the team to victory by scoring 27 points, including 5 three-pointers, and grabbing 18 rebounds solely in the second half.

Broadcast footage captured Lee walking over to the Japanese coaching staff right after the match to shake hands and greet them personally. Among Japanese fans, this sparked praise such as, "As a rival, Lee Hyun-jung is annoying, but he has truly wonderful character."

With this victory granting him military service exemptions, Lee said, "It would be a lie to say the military benefit isn't exciting," adding, "That much means the national basketball team shouldn't just end with an Asian Games gold medal, but needs to push further from here."

Leaving immediately for Portland, United States, to pursue his NBA dream, Lee expressed his determination to move beyond the Asian Games victory and aim for even bigger goals.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
Reported by Lee Hyeon-yeong | Video by Kim Na-on | Graphics by Lee Jeong-ju | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.