[Official Announcement] Lee Hyun-joong temporarily steps down from the national team jersey to pursue his NBA dream... will not participate in World Cup qualifiers against Taiwan and Japan

*This content was translated by AI.

Korean men's basketball ace Lee Hyun-joong (26) is heading to the United States to participate in the NBA Summer League, fulfilling his lifelong dream.

The Korea Basketball Association (KBA) announced on the 12th that "Lee Hyun-joong, a member of the Korean men's national basketball team, will depart for the United States on the 25th to participate in the NBA Summer League."

This summer, Lee Hyun-joong embarks on his third attempt to join the NBA. He is scheduled to participate in the Summer League wearing the uniform of the prestigious San Antonio Spurs.

On the 8th, Lee Hyun-joong entered the Jincheon National Training Center to begin intensive training in preparation for the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) World Cup Asian qualifiers. The Korean Nam Ja-nong-gu (CEO) team, led by coach Nikolaj Mazulis of Latvia, will compete in the first round of the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup Asian qualifiers, specifically the 5th and 6th matches. The games will be held on July 3 and 6 at Goyang Sono Arena, with Korea facing Taiwan in the 5th match and Japan in the 6th match.

With the NBA Summer League schedule closely overlapping with the national team schedule, a difficult decision was required. After much deliberation, Lee Hyun-joong decided to temporarily set aside the national team jersey and head to the United States to pursue his long-held dream.

The KBA stated, "Lee Hyun-joong is scheduled to participate in national team training until the 19th before departing for the United States on the 25th. As a result, he will not participate in the upcoming World Cup Asian qualifiers against Taiwan and Japan next month. Once the NBA Summer League schedule concludes, he plans to rejoin the national team to continue training for evaluation matches and the Asian Games."

This season, Lee Hyun-joong played for Nagasaki Velca of Japan's B.League, leading his team to the championship stage. Recognized for his outstanding performance, he was named Championship MVP and garnered significant attention from numerous NBA officials.

The KBA explained, "Lee Hyun-joong has been deeply conflicted for a long time between participating in national team matches and joining the NBA Summer League, based on his strong sense of responsibility and affection for the national team. While his determination to rejoin the national team was strong, this was not an easy decision. However, considering this as a precious opportunity to take another step toward his dream of joining the NBA, which he has cherished since childhood, he decided to go to the United States."

The KBA added, "The KBA respects Lee Hyun-joong's decision and plans to actively support him. The KBA believes that a player representing Korean basketball challenging the world stage is significant not only for the individual athlete but also for the development of Korean basketball. We look forward to Lee Hyun-joong showcasing his talents on the American stage."

Currently, Korea sits in second place in Group B with two wins and two losses, trailing first-place Japan (three wins, one loss). Korea secured consecutive victories against China in the first two matches but lost both the third match against Taiwan and the fourth match against Japan under coach Mazulis. To turn the tide, Korea must secure victories in the upcoming 5th and 6th matches.

In this first round of Asian qualifiers, the top three teams from each group will advance to the second round. Korea must reach the second round to maintain its chances of qualifying for the FIBA Basketball World Cup finals, which will be held in Qatar next year. A total of seven tickets for the finals are allocated to the Asia-Oceania region, excluding the host nation, Qatar.

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*This content was translated by AI.