Men's Basketball Advances to Asian Games Quarterfinals as Group Leader With Three Consecutive Wins... Lee JungHyun: "Our Goal Is Gold"

Going for First Gold in 12 Years Since 2014 Incheon Games
Favorable Quarterfinal Draw Likely to Avoid China and Iran

"Our goal is to win the Asian Games. I believe this is just the beginning, and I will do my best from the quarterfinals and semifinals all the way to the final, so we can achieve the results we want."

Jung Hyun Lee of the men's national basketball team expressed his determination to go for the gold medal after finishing Group A of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games men's basketball group stage with three consecutive wins on the 13th.

Under the leadership of Latvian coach Nikolajs Mazurs, the men's national basketball team secured a 100-83 victory in their final Group A match against Japan at Aichi International Arena in Nagoya on the same day, advancing to the quarterfinals as the top team in Group A.

Jung Hyun Lee is attempting a breakthrough during the men's basketball preliminary match against Japan at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games held on the 13th at Nagoya Aichi International Arena, Japan. Photo by Yonhap News.

Jung Hyun Lee, who was the Korean Basketball League regular season MVP last season, led the team to victory by scoring a game-high 25 points, including five three-pointers, along with seven assists. Veteran center Jae Seok Jang provided a strong presence in the paint with 18 points and eight rebounds, while 'ace' Lee Hyunjung contributed 16 points and seven assists.

The team had previously defeated Saudi Arabia and Indonesia by margins of 16 and 54 points, respectively, on the 10th and 11th.

With three consecutive wins, South Korea secured a favorable position for the quarterfinal draw, making it more likely to avoid tough opponents such as China and Iran. In this tournament, which features 12 teams, the group stage is divided into three groups of four teams each. The top two teams from each group, along with the two best-performing third-place teams, advance to the quarterfinals for a knockout stage. The quarterfinal matchups are determined based on group stage rankings, pairing higher-ranked teams with lower-ranked ones.

Korea is aiming for its first gold medal in 12 years since the 2014 Incheon Asian Games. As several key contenders have been unable to field their best squads, Korea is considered one of the favorites to win the title.

China is missing key players such as center Zhou Qi, who has been a core part of the national team, and Yang Han Shen from the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers. Guard Zhao Rui, who captained China at the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup, and veteran point guard Zhao Jiwei are also absent from the roster.

Iran is also without core players Mohammad Amini and Sina Vahedi, who are unavailable for this tournament due to club commitments and injuries.

Japan has formed their roster mainly with young players, excluding NBA players Rui Hachimura and Yuki Kawamura, as well as former NBA player Yuta Watanabe.

The Philippines, who won the gold medal at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games, will not have American-born naturalized star Justin Brownlee participating this time. Earlier this month, South Korea played two warm-up games against a Philippines squad missing many of their main players, and won both convincingly by scores of 81-55 and 69-42.

The men's basketball quarterfinals are scheduled for the 16th, the semifinals for the 18th, and the medal matches will take place on the 20th, the day after the opening of the Asian Games.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.