Korean Men's and Women's Basketball Teams Aim for First Combined Gold in 14 Years

Korean basketball has achieved the most success in Asian Games history next to the "Great Wall" of China.

China has claimed the most gold medals with 8 titles in the men's division and 7 in the women's division, while South Korea holds the second-highest total of combined gold medals with 4 titles in the men's division (1970, 1982, 2002, 2014) and 4 in the women's division (1978, 1990, 1994, 2014).

Ahead of the upcoming 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Games, attention is focused on the challenge of winning "both men's and women's basketball gold medals for the first time in 14 years," though the reality is not easy.

In the men's division in particular, following what could be considered the "worst-ever" performance at the previous Hangzhou Asian Games held in 2023, the team is in a position where it must first aim to return to the podium.

At the Hangzhou Games men's tournament, South Korea failed to reach the medal zone after being blocked by China in the quarterfinals.

After being eliminated in the quarterfinals at the 2006 Doha Games, a medal streak that continued through Guangzhou 2010 (silver), Incheon 2014 (gold), and Jakarta-Palembang 2018 (bronze) was broken, and following classification matches, the team finished in 7th place, their lowest ranking in Asian Games history.

Parting ways with head coach Choo Il-seung after the Hangzhou Asian Games, the men's national team reached the quarterfinals of the FIBA Asia Cup last year under head coach Ahn Joon-ho. However, the Korea Basketball Association did not extend his contract and instead began searching for a new helm.

Latvia-born Nikolais Mazurs took office late last year as the national team's first-ever foreign head coach, but with the team managing only 1 win in their subsequent 6 matches, the atmosphere ahead of the Asian Games is far from ideal.

A 2-point victory over Japan in the World Cup Asian Qualifiers held last month remains their sole win, and the mood sank further after suffering humiliating blowout defeats of 20 points and 29 points in away friendly matches against Japan on the 15th and 16th of this month.

Concerns were raised as the team showed very poor performance, even considering the absence of key players including "ace" Lee Hyun-jung—who was invited to a mini-camp by an NBA franchise—along with frontline forwards Song Kyo-chang (Osaka Evessa) and Choi Jun-yong (KCC), and core guard Lee Jeong-hyeon (Sono).

On a more hopeful note, Lee Hyun-jung is scheduled to participate in the Asian Games, and Choi Jun-yong, who is challenging himself on the U.S. stage, has expressed his determination to play, which is expected to bolster the squad's strength.

Placed in Group A of the Asian Games preliminary round alongside Japan, Saudi Arabia, and Indonesia, the men's national team will play an away World Cup qualifier against Lebanon on the 27th of this month, followed by a home match against Saudi Arabia in Suwon on the 31st.

They will then host the Philippines in Suwon on the 4th and 6th of next month for their final Asian Games rehearsal.

The women's national team has never missed out on a medal at the Asian Games, including the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games (silver) where they competed as a unified inter-Korean team.

After winning a bronze medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games, head coach Park Soo-ho took the helm in May 2024 and has led the team through to the upcoming Asian Games.

The women's team finished 4th at the FIBA Asia Cup last year and secured their 17th consecutive qualification for the FIBA World Cup finals in March of this year, but left with disappointing back-to-back losses in friendly matches against Japan held on the 13th and 14th of this month.

After suffering an 18-point blowout loss in the first game, they controlled the flow and played well in the second match, only to lose by a single point after conceding consecutive three-pointers in the dying moments to Japan's 2006-born point guard Kokoro Tanaka.

A major variable for the team is that core guard Park Ji-hyun (Los Angeles Sparks), who plays on the WNBA stage, is unable to play in the Asian Games due to her club schedule, while the availability of anchor Park Ji-su (KB), who is recovering from an injury, remains uncertain.

The women's national basketball team has been placed in Group C of the Asian Games preliminary round alongside Taiwan, Malaysia, and Mongolia.

Ahead of the Asian Games, they will compete in the FIBA World Cup finals in Germany in September, where they will face France, Nigeria, and Hungary in Group B of the preliminary round.

Basketball events at this year's Asian Games will kick off the men's tournament on September 10, well ahead of the opening ceremony on September 19, with the final taking place on September 20, the day after the opening.

The women's preliminary round will run from September 17, with the final scheduled for September 26.

All matches will be held at the Aichi International Arena.

3x3 basketball, which was introduced as an official medal event starting at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games, will also be held at this tournament.

Hopes are high once again for a medal from the men's team, which brought home silver from Jakarta and bronze from Hangzhou.

Lee Ju-young and Kim Seung-woo (both of Yonsei University), Lee Dong-geun (Korea University), and Gu Min-gyo (Sungkyunkwan University), who combined to finish as runners-up at the FIBA 3x3 Asia Cup in April, will participate.

The women's 3x3 national team consists of Song Yun-ha (KB), Hur Yu-jung (Shinhan Bank), Kim Jeong-eun (BNK), and Choi Ye-seul (Samsung Life Insurance).

Both the men's and women's 3x3 basketball tournaments will take place from September 21 to 25 at the Kinshuto Station special court.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.