(LEAD) (Asiad) Forward lifts S. Korea to men's hoops gold with sharpshooting, leadership

NAGOYA, Japan, Sept. 20 (Yonhap) -- No one scored more points, made more three-pointers, grabbed more rebounds or had more steals in the entire tournament. Considering the stakes, it would not be an exaggeration to say Lee Hyun-jung played the best basketball of his life during his six-game run to the gold medal for South Korea at the Asian Games this month.

Lee poured in 27 points and grabbed 18 boards to help South Korea beat Japan 67-57 for the gold medal at Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan, on Sunday, the country's first men's hoops gold since 2014.

Lee finished with 144 total points in six games. He drained 25 shots from downtown, with no one else even over 20, and also had 14 steals. Despite not being a big man, the 202-centimeter forward tied for the tournament lead with 58 rebounds.

Lee shot 52 percent from the field, 47 percent from behind the arc, and 84 percent from the charity stripe. Even in a small, six-game sample, these are gaudy numbers that can turn what has mostly been a mediocre team into a tournament champion.

"I just shot when I had a chance and went after the rebounds," Lee said during a mixed-zone interview. "I know Japan's Alex Kirk is a strong rebounder, but he is a little slow in transition after losing a rebound. So I thought it would be easier if I went after more rebounds."

He is now the second member of his family with an Asian Games gold, after his mother, former center Seong Jeong-a, lifted South Korea to the women's title at the 1990 competition in Beijing.

"She didn't say much to me. She just told me to be myself in a calm, cool-headed way," Lee said. "I think I am very lucky that she is my mother. She has helped me become a better player while teaching me to remain humble."

Lee, 25, also brought plenty of intangibles as a leader. He hardly shied away from physical battles down low for rebounds and made some smart outlet passes to start fast breaks. And throughout the tournament, Lee preached cool and poise and insisted the job was not going to be done until the final buzzer of the final, while some of his teammates might have been guilty of getting too excited about the prospect of winning gold.

Team captain Lee Seoung-hyun, 34, even said he was honored to play with a player as talented and humble as Lee Hyun-jung on the national team, and dubbed him a future captain material.

And Lee will get to enjoy his national team and professional career without interruption, after earning exemption from the mandatory military service with this gold medal.

"I think this gold medal is important because I want to go further on the global stage," he said. "But I don't think this is the end of my national team career. I will make a constant effort to live up to our fans' expectations."

Lee attended Davidson, best known as alma mater for National Basketball Association (NBA) superstar Stephen Curry. As a sophomore, Lee accomplished something that even Curry never did -- shooting 50.8 percent from the field, 44.2 percent from the three-point range and 90 percent from the free throw line for the coveted 50-40-90 combination.

Lee declared for the NBA draft in 2022 but suffered a foot injury only days before the draft. He has since spent time playing in Australia and Japan, with a short stint in the second-tier NBA G League.

This summer, he played for the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Summer League and later attended mini camps for the Boston Celtics and the New Orleans Pelicans. Then just before the Asian Games, Lee signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Portland Trail Blazers. It is a one-year, non-guaranteed pact that offers a minimum salary with an invite to training camp.

With NBA camps opening next week, Lee helped himself with his gold medal-winning performance here. He will now try to become just the second South Korean to play in the NBA, after former center Ha Seung-jin.

"There are so many things I want to do. I want to play in the World Cup, the Olympics and the NBA," he said. "And I want to hear people say that South Korean basketball is not weak, but strong."