'Training Bus No-Show' Men's Basketball Wins First Asian Games Gold in 12 Years...Hyunjung Lee's Double-Double

Decisive 67-57 Victory Over Japan at Aichi-Nagoya Final

Fifth Overall Gold Medal Since 2014 Incheon Games

Hyunjung Lee Shines with 27 Points, 18 Rebounds and MVP-Level Performance

The South Korean men's basketball team has won the Asian Games gold medal for the first time in 12 years.

Under the leadership of coach Nikolajs Mazurs, South Korea defeated host nation Japan 67-57 in the men's basketball final of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games held at Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan on the 20th. This victory marks South Korea's first gold at the Asian Games in 12 years, since the 2014 Incheon Games, and its fifth gold in Asian Games history (1970, 1982, 2002, 2014, and 2026).

The South Korean men's basketball team is celebrating after winning the final against Japan at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games held at Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan on the 20th. Nagoya=Yonhap News Photo by Yonhap

The journey to the championship was far from easy for South Korea. On the morning of the game, an unexpected incident occurred: the vehicle arranged to transport the team to the training facility failed to arrive, so they were unable to practice. The team had planned to get warmed up with shooting practice at a separate gym that morning, but the car that was scheduled to arrive in the 10 a.m. hour did not show up, with no proper explanation given. Ultimately, South Korea had to cancel its planned training session, stranded by the lack of transportation.

South Korea struggled against Japan's intense defensive pressure and shooting difficulties. By the end of the second quarter, the score was tied at 28-28, keeping the match highly competitive. In the second half, South Korea began to open up their offense from the perimeter, with Junhyeong Byun and Hyunjoong Lee breaking the scoring drought with successful three-pointers.

When Japan responded with two successful shots from distance, Hyunjoong Lee received a quick pass and immediately drilled back-to-back three-pointers, putting South Korea ahead 44-39. Jeonghyeon Lee then made a three-pointer using Jaeseok Jang's screen, and Wooseok Lee joined with additional outside support, allowing Korea to close out the third quarter with a 55-47 lead, an 8-point margin.

Hyunjoong Lee is making a three-point shot in the men's basketball final against Japan at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games held at Aichi International Arena in Nagoya on the 20th. Nagoya=Yonhap News Photo

Hyunjoong Lee's shooting touch remained sharp in the fourth quarter. With a composed three-pointer and a basket inside, he extended the lead to 60-49, a difference of 11 points. When Wooseok Lee's pull-up jumper bounced off the rim, Lee quickly tipped it in for another score. With 3 minutes 34 seconds remaining, South Korea still held an 11-point lead (64-53).

Hyunjoong Lee delivered his best performance of the tournament, leading the team's offensive efforts as its ace player. In this game, he scored 27 points and grabbed 18 rebounds, recording a "double-double" to spearhead the victory. Following in the footsteps of his mother, Seong Jeong-a, a key member of South Korea's gold-medal team at the 1990 Beijing Games and a director of the Korea Basketball Association, Hyunjoong Lee became a "mother-and-son gold medalist." Jeonghyeon Lee also contributed 14 points and 7 assists.

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