Lee Hyun-jung (basketball)

Lee attended Samil Commercial School in Suwon, where he played basketball under the coaching of his father.^[1] In middle school, Lee was only 170 centimeters (5 ft 7 in) and played as a guard, as he practiced dribbling and mid-range shooting. By the end of his middle school years, Lee grew to over 190 centimeters (6 ft 3 in). He played as a center during defense and a guard during the offense.^[2] He modeled his game after Klay Thompson.^[3]

In 2018, Lee enrolled at the NBA Global Academy in Canberra, Australia.^[4] While at the academy, he played for the BA Centre of Excellence in the South East Australian Basketball League (SEABL) in 2018 and then the NBL1 in 2019.^[5] In conjunction with the NBA Global Academy and the Centre of Excellence, he attended Lake Ginninderra Secondary College,^[6] where he learned to speak English.^[4]

Lee committed to playing college basketball for Davidson over an offer from Washington State. He drew the attention of head coach Bob McKillop and his staff at a Basketball Without Borders event.^[4] He would become the fourth player and the second men's player from South Korea to play NCAA Division I basketball.^[7]

As a freshman with the Davidson Wildcats in 2019–20, Lee appeared in 28 games off the bench and finished seventh among A-10 first-year players in scoring, averaging 8.4 points per game.^[6] On February 7, 2020, he scored a season-high 20 points in a 73–62 loss to VCU.^[8] He was subsequently named to the Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team.^[6][9]

As a sophomore in 2020–21, Lee started all 22 games and finished second on the team in scoring and assists. He became the first-ever Wildcat to conclude the season shooting at least 50 percent overall, 40 percent from three-point range and 90 percent from the free throw line. He twice scored a season-high 23 points.^[6] He averaged 13.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game.^[6]

As a junior in 2021–22, Lee played in 34 games and made 33 starts, averaging 15.8 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game.^[6] On December 1, 2021, he recorded a career-high 32 points and 14 rebounds against Charlotte.^[10][11] He was subsequently named first-team All-Atlantic 10.^[12]

On April 26, 2022, Lee declared for the NBA draft, forgoing his remaining college eligibility.^[13]

Lee played for South Korea's junior national team at the 2015 FIBA Asia Under-16 Championship. He averaged 14 points and 5.7 rebounds per game, leading his team to its first gold medal at the tournament.^[25][26] Lee represented South Korea at the 2016 FIBA Under-17 World Championship and 2018 FIBA Under-18 Asian Championship.^[1] He averaged 26 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 6 assists per game at the 2018 tournament.^[27] He played for the senior team at the 2020 FIBA Men's Olympic Qualifying Tournaments and during the 2022 FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers.^[28]

Lee's mother, Sung Jung-a, won a silver medal while representing South Korea in basketball at the 1984 Summer Olympics. His father, Lee Yoon-hwan, played semi-professionally before becoming a high school athletic director and coach. His older sister, Lee Ri-na, played for the South Korean under-16 national team.^[29]