(Asiad) Mother of men's basketball champion proud of son, excited to see further growth

NAGOYA, Japan, Sept. 21 (Yonhap) -- Soon after South Korea clinched the Asian Games gold in men's basketball Sunday night in Japan, Seong Jeong-a, former women's national team star, got on the phone with her son, the sharpshooting forward Lee Hyun-jung.

Lee had just led South Korea to a 67-57 win over Japan, scoring 27 points and grabbing 18 rebounds. The apple has not fallen too far from the tree, with Seong herself having won the 1990 Asian Games gold medal, in addition to silver at the 1984 Olympics.

"I told him I was so proud of him for the job well done," said Seong, currently executive director for the Korea Basketball Association. "And Hyun-jung just kept saying, 'This feels so good.' We don't have to say much to each other. We just know how we feel."

Lee's father, Lee Yoon-hwan, was also a basketball player. It may seem like Hyun-jung was destined to be a basketball man himself, but Seong insisted she never wanted him to be one.

"Because I experienced an athletic career myself, I didn't want him to go through the same thing. But he just loved the game so much I could never stop him," Seong recalled, "He claims he wanted to grow up to be a basketball player ever since he was five years old and that dream never once changed. I remember him throwing things into a basket as a boy whenever he had a chance."

Asked how she raised her son to be such a good player, Seong laughed and said, "I was a very strict mother. I only remember scolding him. He basically raised himself while living overseas."

Lee moved to Australia at 17 to enroll at an international basketball academy and played college basketball for Davidson, best known as alma mater for National Basketball Association (NBA) legend Stephen Curry.

At 202 centimeters, Lee has the body of a big man for South Korea with the shooting touch of a guard and toughness of an old-school power forward. Though he was South Korea's best shooter at the Asian Games, Lee was also its best rebounder and recorded the most steals for the team, never afraid to bang bigger bodies down low to battle for rebounds and start fast breaks.

Seong said Lee's biggest strength is his ability to read the game, not his shooting or toughness. And the mother also marveled at Lee's work ethic and dedication to his craft.

"I know how it is as a former player. There were days when I just wanted to take a break," Seong said. "But Hyun-jung tells me he is always itching to get going whenever he takes time off. I sometimes wonder if he truly loves the sport or if he just becomes too anxious when he is not training."

Lee said after Sunday's victory that he barely had time to savor his gold medal, because he would have to travel to the United States for the start of NBA training camp.

Just days before the Asian Games, Lee signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Portland Trail Blazers. It is a non-guaranteed deal that offers a minimum salary with an invite to training camp.

As Lee takes another crack at the NBA, having earlier played in the second-tier G League, Seong was worried about the stress that will surely accompany that journey.

"He may be a star in Korea but he will just be one of many unknown players in America," he said. "I am worried how he will be able to survive there. It just breaks my heart because he never really shows how tough things are for him."

Seong said she still has the utmost trust in his son.

"I cannot wait to see just how far he can go," she said. "He is never content with himself. I think he will continue to improve until the day he retires. He always strives to get better. I am worried that he may burn himself out but you need that sort of drive to get better."