[Direct Interview] Son who cried in a hotel room becomes Japan League MVP... 'Legend' Sung Jung-ah: "Lee Hyun-jung has already surpassed me"

*This content was translated by AI.

Once a son who shed tears in a hotel room, he has now become the Most Valuable Player (MVP) who conquered the Japanese stage. Sung Jung-ah (61), a director of the Korea Basketball Association and a 'legend' who represented Korean women's basketball, expressed pride while watching her son Lee Hyun-jung (26) grow, saying, "I am surprised myself. As a player, he is now at a level that cannot be compared to mine."

In a phone interview with StarNews on the 5th, Director Sung Jung-ah said about her son Lee Hyun-jung's tremendous performance, "I feel both proud and nervous. He has now reached a level that cannot be compared to mine. Judging by his mentality and his attitude toward basketball, he has truly become stronger and has grown wonderfully. So when I see Hyun-jung these days, I am surprised myself."

She continued, "I try to look at Hyun-jung as objectively as possible. I even try to think that if he fails, he failed," but added, "However, it might be inappropriate for a mother like me to say this, but when I watch Hyun-jung, I often think, 'He can grow like this every year.' He seems to be very unique in many aspects, including his attitude toward basketball."

She then said, "When I listen to Hyun-jung's stories, it seems that players of his generation, such as Lee Jung-hyun (Goyang Sono), Yang Jun-seok, Yu Gi-sang (both Changwon LG), and Yeo Jun-seok (Seattle), have similar mentalities. I am very hopeful for the future of Korean basketball in that regard."

Lee Hyun-jung has been the ace of the Nagasaki Velca in the 2025-2026 Japan B.League season, leading the club to its first-ever unified championship in its history. In 57 regular-season games, he averaged 17.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.7 assists, ranking first overall in the league in both three-point shooting percentage (47.9%) and three-pointers made (187).

He was also strong in the playoffs. In the quarterfinals' second game, Lee Hyun-jung recorded a double-double with 27 points and 10 rebounds. In the decisive third game of the finals, where the championship was on the line, he led his team to victory with 23 points and 5 rebounds, including three three-pointers. He secured the B.League Best 5, the Asia Quarter Choi U-su-seon (수상), and the Championship MVP, completely making the Japanese league his own stage.

Now, Lee Hyun-jung is preparing for another major challenge. He is scheduled to participate in this summer's NBA Summer League wearing the uniform of the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). According to his agency, Epic Sports, several NBA teams showed interest in Lee Hyun-jung, and among them, the final destination was decided to be the prestigious NBA team, San Antonio. This is his third attempt at the Summer League. Previously, Lee Hyun-jung participated in the NBA Summer League twice but did not get enough playing opportunities.

At that time, Lee Hyun-jung felt great disappointment. Director Sung said, "He was called to the Summer League before and went, but he was not given many opportunities in the actual field. Even when he was with Portland, the team coach liked Hyun-jung very much and said he would create a pattern for Hyun-jung. So we had high expectations, and Hyun-jung also said, 'I think I will get a chance this time.' But in the actual games, he was not given opportunities. At that time, Hyun-jung's mentality completely collapsed. Even shots that were going in well didn't go in."

Overwhelmed by deep frustration, Lee Hyun-jung even shed tears in a hotel room. Director Sung said, "I watched all of that. It felt like my heart was tearing apart," and revealed, "If it were me, I would have wanted to quit because I hated basketball."

However, Lee Hyun-jung stood up again. He turned the regrets from the Summer League into a stepping stone for growth, and went through a similar process on the Australian stage. Director Sung recalled, "When he first went to Australia, the players' physicality was so good that Hyun-jung was intimidated. At that time, he cried and said he couldn't do it. He was also very flustered because Australia has a strong British accent in terms of language, so he couldn't hear well."

However, Lee Hyun-jung overcame that time as well. Director Sung said, "Later, Hyun-jung even took on the role of team captain," and expressed pride, saying, "I think he grew bigger by experiencing various things outside than what I raised him to be."

Lee Hyun-jung contributed to the Illawarra Hawks, his previous team, winning the Australian National Basketball League (NBL) championship last season. After moving his stage to Japan, he established himself as a key player for Nagasaki, proving his value once again.

Ahead of this Summer League challenge, Director Sung sent sincere support. She also expressed pride in her son who overcomes every hurdle on his own.

Director Sung said, "Hyun-jung is constantly standing on stages that are more demanding than himself. In such situations, there are two options: to give up in frustration or to have the desire to try to overcome it anyway." She added, "Fortunately, it seems Hyun-jung had a strong desire to try to overcome it." She then expressed hope, saying, "I think he will overcome it this time. San Antonio also showed more serious interest in Hyun-jung."

Director Sung is a legendary player who represented Korean women's basketball. She was a key figure in winning the silver medal at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and contributed to the gold medal at the 1990 Beijing Asian Games. On the industrial team level, she played for Dongbang Life, the predecessor of Samsung Life, and experienced five championships in the National Basketball Tournament. In 1989, she was also selected as the tournament MVP.

Despite having a basketball senior and mother with such a brilliant career, Lee Hyun-jung, Director Sung said she does not give him much advice. She laughed, saying, "I am not good at giving advice, and Hyun-jung does not listen to my advice either. When I talk to him, he just says, 'I will handle it myself.'"

She continued, "Actually, there is nothing I can say to Hyun-jung now. Even after winning in Japan, Hyun-jung went to training. He said that if he doesn't train, his body feels too heavy and tired. When he comes back from exercising, he says, 'I feel like I'm going to live now,' and I praised him for that."

On the contrary, Director Sung said she learns from watching Lee Hyun-jung. She said, "I became a member of the national team in my first year of high school and lived busy ever since. After joining an industrial team, I had a lot of trouble due to a knee injury. But when I watch Hyun-jung, I feel regret that if I had tried to keep developing like Hyun-jung, I might have become a better player."

She then reflected, "During my playing days, I couldn't train properly after injuring my knee. I spent a lot of time doing weight training and entering games. To be honest, I just held on until retirement using the basketball skills I had in high school."

Director Sung honestly said, "When I see Hyun-jung, I can see him growing every year, which is very amazing to my eyes."

Director Sung's husband and Lee Hyun-jung's father is Lee Yoon-hwan, the head coach of Samil High School. He currently also serves as the vice president of the Korea High School Basketball Federation. Lee Hyun-jung also attended Samil Middle School and Samil High School before enrolling at Davidson College of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to pursue higher dreams.

Director Sung said, "Hyun-jung doesn't talk much, but he talks a lot with his dad and gets along well. In a way, his dad could be both a father and a mentor to Hyun-jung." She recalled, "It might have been burdensome for Hyun-jung to play at his dad's school, but Hyun-jung made just one statement: 'I will work hard so that I don't put my dad in an awkward position.'"

At that time, the Samil High School coach was Coach Kang Hyuk, who currently leads Daegu Korea Gas Corporation. Lee Hyun-jung grew up receiving harsh coaching from Coach Kang. Director Sung said, "Hyun-jung was scolded a lot. When I saw that, his dad might have felt embarrassed, so he would go into the gym and come out again."

She then added, "On the contrary, my husband still tells Hyun-jung, 'If Coach Kang Hyuk hadn't trained you so strictly back then, you wouldn't have become a player.' It was a word filled with gratitude for Coach Kang Hyuk's sincere coaching."

Director Sung watched her son Lee Hyun-jung's growth as both a basketball senior and a mother. She revealed that she acted more carefully because she was part of a basketball family. She not only attended parent-teacher events but also supported her son as a player's mother. Director Sung said, "I am a mother, so I just did what a mother should do," and added, "However, there might have been the gaze of being a basketball family and misunderstandings, but I tried to do my role as a mother."

When asked who Lee Hyun-jung resembles more, Director Sung or Coach Lee, Director Sung said, "Actually, I don't know much about my husband's playing days," but added, "However, Hyun-jung's fingertips definitely seem to resemble his dad's. Although my dad started basketball late, people around him say he had excellent shooting skills. Also, my husband has perseverance, and I think Hyun-jung resembles him in that part. The rest seems to resemble me," she laughed.

Finally, Director Sung said, "I am proud of Hyun-jung who silently overcomes difficult environments," and added, "I hope Hyun-jung steps on the NBA stage for his dreams."

She continued, "I hope Hyun-jung's challenge becomes a good opportunity for Korean basketball as well. If Hyun-jung stepping on the NBA stage can help even a little to create a boom in Korean basketball again, what could be more rewarding for a mother and a basketball senior than that?" She sent affectionate support, saying, "I hope Hyun-jung opens that path."

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*This content was translated by AI.