The South Korean men's 3x3 basketball national team has advanced to the final of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, keeping alive their pursuit of the country's first-ever gold medal in the event.

Led by head coach Bae Gil-tae, the men's 3x3 basketball squad defeated the Philippines 21-9 in the tournament's semifinals held today at the special outdoor court in the Kinjofuto Station plaza in Nagoya, Japan.

This marks South Korea's return to the final stage for the first time in 8 years, since claiming the silver medal at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games, where 3x3 basketball debuted as an official Asian Games event.

South Korea is aiming for its first gold medal with a roster featuring Lee Ju-young and Kim Seung-woo (both of Yonsei University), Lee Dong-geun (Korea University), and Gu Min-gyo (Sungkyunkwan University), who previously combined to finish as runners-up at the FIBA 3x3 Asia Cup in April of this year.

The final is scheduled to take place at 7:30 PM, where South Korea will face the winner of the match between Qatar and Iran for the gold medal.

South Korea seized early momentum as Lee Ju-young and Kim Seung-woo opened the semifinal with consecutive 2-point shots, pulling ahead 8-1 within just about 1 minute and 20 seconds.

With 7 minutes and 9 seconds remaining on the clock, Kim Seung-woo extended the lead to 13-2 with another 2-pointer. Maintaining a comfortable advantage, Lee Ju-young sealed the victory with a 2-pointer with 29 seconds left, becoming the first to reach 21 points to end the game.

Kim Seung-woo led a well-rounded team performance with 8 points and 3 rebounds, alongside Lee Ju-young with 6 points, Lee Dong-geun with 4 points and 5 rebounds, and Gu Min-gyo with 3 points and 5 rebounds.

Meanwhile, the women's national team, which reached the Asian Games semifinals for the first time, dropped a 19-8 match against Japan in the semifinals and moved to the bronze medal match.

The women's squad—consisting of Kim Jung-eun (BNK), Choi Ye-seul (Samsung Life), Heo Yu-jung (Shinhan Bank), and Song Yun-ha (KB)—will face Thailand for the medal.

(Photo courtesy of Korea Basketball Association, Yonhap News)