"How can there be no naturalized big man?" Japanese fans shocked by Korean basketball; Lee Hyun-jung's 27 points and '18 rebounds' shine even brighter... Japanese media sigh, "In the end, we couldn't stop him" [Aichi Nagoya AG]

*This content was translated by AI.

Reactions of surprise emerged from Japan toward the South Korean men's basketball team that claimed the Asian Games title without any naturalized big man. Especially notable was Lee Hyun-jung's performance, which shone even brighter as he secured a remarkable 18 rebounds and took responsibility for the paint despite Japan's height advantage.

Led by coach Nicolas Mazulis of Latvia, South Korea defeated host nation Japan 67-57 in the men's basketball final at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games held on the 20th at the Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan.

South Korea claimed its gold medal for the first time since the 2014 Incheon tournament, marking a 12-year gap. This was their fifth overall Asian Games championship. It has been 44 years since they topped the podium at an overseas tournament, last achieved at the 1982 New Delhi Games.

Local Japanese media also acknowledged South Korea's performance.

Japanese basketball specialist outlet Basket Count analyzed the game flow and evaluated that South Korea's performance surpassed Japan's from the second quarter onward.

Another Japanese outlet, Basketball King, noted, "Japan struggled against South Korea's solid defense and could hardly increase their scoring."

A striking aspect of this championship was the absence of a naturalized big man on the Korean team. Previously, Ra Geon-a took responsibility for the paint for the Oh Raet-dong-an (CEO) team, but this time there were no naturalized players on the South Korean national squad.

In contrast, Japan had Alex Kirk, an American-born naturalized center. Standing 211 cm tall, Kirk played for the Cleveland Cavaliers and other teams in the NBA before joining the Japanese professional league in 2017. His application for naturalization was approved in January 2024, granting him Japanese citizenship. He wore the Japanese jersey at this Asian Games as well.

Judging solely by height, Japan had conditions to gain an advantage.

Indeed, in total team rebounds, Japan led South Korea 54-43. However, South Korea overcame these setbacks and secured a thrilling gold medal.

At the center of it all was Lee Hyun-jung. He hit five three-pointers to score 27 points, while also grabbing an impressive 18 rebounds.

Considering the team total of only 43 rebounds, Lee Hyun-jung alone accounted for more than 40% of South Korea's rebounds. In a Korean team without a naturalized big man, the 202nd cm Lee Hyun-jung perfectly fulfilled his ace role by taking responsibility not only for scoring but also for battles in the paint.

The 'veteran duo' Lee Seung-hyun and Jang Jae-seok did not shy away from physical confrontations against Japan's tall players. Despite being at a disadvantage in height, they held their ground with aggressive defense and box-outs, preventing Japan from easily dominating the paint.

Japanese fans also paid attention to South Korea's performance. According to Yahoo Japan, one Japanese fan asked, "Don't you have any naturalized big man players on your team?" while adding, "Yet it seems they are not losing in rebounding battles."

Another Japanese fan remarked, "As expected, South Korea is superior in offense," and expressed surprise, saying, "It's truly amazing that they showed such performance with only domestic players and no naturalized athletes."

Indeed, Japan could not ultimately control South Korea's offense. Lee Hyun-jung, who excelled in both offense and defense, anchored the team.

Basketball King analyzed, "Kirk fought hard in the paint and on rebounds by utilizing his height," but added, "Japan failed to stop him, allowing 27 points and 18 rebounds, including five three-pointers."

It further reported, "In the end, Japan fell just short of its long-awaited first championship."

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*This content was translated by AI.