"Lee Hyun-jung is my role model" → But he himself said, "It's an honor, but surpass me"... Sincere advice to junior players who won the AG gold medal [Incheon Field]

*This content was translated by AI.

"It's an honor. But I hope you can surpass me."

The South Korean men's 3x3 basketball team, consisting of Gu Min-gyo (Sungkyunkwan University), Kim Seung-woo, Lee Ju-young (both Yonsei University), and Lee Dong-geun (Korea University), named Lee Hyun-jung (Portland) as their role model after winning the country's first-ever gold medal at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.

Upon hearing this news, Lee Hyun-jung offered sincere advice to his juniors.

Lee Hyun-jung departed for the United States through Incheon International Airport on the 26th. He joined the Portland training camp of the National Basketball Association (NBA) to embark on a new challenge toward entering the official roster.

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

South Korea claimed its first gold medal since the 2014 Incheon Games, a 12-year gap. This marks their fifth overall Asian Games title and their first championship in a tournament held abroad since the 1982 New Delhi Games, 44 years later.

Lee Hyun-jung delivered outstanding performances throughout the tournament, scoring 27 points including five three-pointers against Japan in the final. He also grabbed an impressive 18 rebounds to lead South Korea to victory.

Shortly after, Korean basketball shared another golden news. Led by coach Bae Gil-tae, South Korea achieved a decisive 19-10 victory over Qatar in the men's 3x3 basketball final at the special court at Nagoya Kintetsu Plaza on the 25th, becoming the first-ever Asian Games champions in this event.

Gu Min-gyo, Kim Seung-woo, Lee Ju-young, and Lee Dong-geun, who jointly won the gold medal, are all university students preparing for the rookie draft to enter the professional league.

When asked to name their role models, these four players unanimously answered "Lee Hyun-jung."

Upon hearing this news, Lee Hyun-jung expressed gratitude, saying, "I'm happy. Those players are excellent athletes themselves, and it's an honor to be respected by fellow players."

However, he immediately delivered a more significant message.

Lee Hyun-jung said, "I hope you dream bigger," adding, "I don't want you to stop at making me your role model."

He further emphasized, "I hope you aim for players who strive their best and can go even higher than me."

This meant he hoped they would not limit themselves to him as a boundary.

Lee Hyun-jung stated, "I hope you don't confine yourselves to me," adding, "I want you to believe that I can succeed on the world stage too."

He concluded, "I hope my role model is not me, but your own best version and your highest potential."

The reason Lee Hyun-jung can say such things to his juniors is that he himself continues to look toward even higher goals.

Like them, Lee Hyun-jung dreams of making his NBA debut beyond this Asian Games gold medal.

Departing for the United States on this day, Lee Hyun-jung joined the Portland training camp to challenge entry into the official NBA roster. Portland had signed Lee Hyun-jung to an Exhibit 10 contract ahead of this Asian Games.

Lee Hyun-jung said, "My goal is to stay in the United States for a long time. I have many other goals as well," adding, "First, I want to show my true self as much as possible during the training camp. Rather than thinking too far ahead, I want to do my best every day and every moment."

Furthermore, Lee Hyun-jung also sent a message to those preparing for challenges like himself.

Lee Hyun-jung said, "I hope you don't give up on your challenges because of others' opinions," adding, "I've heard the words 'it won't work' many times before. But if you focus on people who dislike you, you can't focus on your own life."

He continued, "Even now, it doesn't matter if someone says it won't work. It might not happen, or it might. But I'm doing this because I want to," he said with conviction.

In fact, there were quite a few love calls directed at Lee Hyun-jung. According to his agency Epic Sports, Lee Hyun-jung received interest from various domestic and foreign clubs, including Boston Celtics FC in this off-season and Nagoya Belca (Japan). In particular, it is reported that his former team, Nagoya, wanted him to stay by offering a substantial sum of money.

However, Lee Hyun-jung's choice was the United States. This means he chose another challenge.

Lee Hyun-jung said, "It was the easiest decision in my life. I wanted to play basketball in the United States, so I have nurtured the dream of challenging overseas," adding, "I am truly grateful for the interest shown by Japanese clubs, but my ultimate goal is to become an NBA player."

He further added, "Because I didn't pay attention to external factors and focused only on my own thoughts, the decision was made easily."

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*This content was translated by AI.