The South Korean men's basketball team won a gold medal at the Asian Games on Sunday. They beat Japan 67-57 at the Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan. This is a very important win. It is South Korea's first men's basketball gold medal since 2014. It is also the first time they won gold at an away Asian Games since 1982.
Star player Lee Hyun-jung played very well in the final. He scored 27 points and had 18 boards. In the whole tournament, he played six games and scored 144 points. He also made 25 shots from far away and had 14 steals. Lee is a 202cm forward. He tied for the tournament lead with 58 rebounds.
Lee was very accurate. He had a 52 percent shooting rate and a 47 percent three-point rate. He also made 84 percent of his free throws. Because of this success, he signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Portland Trail Blazers. This gold medal also means he does not have to do mandatory military service.
The coach, Nikolajs Mazurs, also did a great job. He is from Latvia. At first, he lost his first three games. But he led the team to win the gold. He said, "If I win, I am the same coach when I lose."
Lee's mother, Seong Jeong-a, was also a great player. She won a gold medal for the South Korean women's team at the 1990 Asian Games in Beijing. Now, Lee is also a champion.