Despite achieving "double-double," Lee Hyun-joong, who blamed himself for being "disappointed in himself," conducted "extra training" alone after the interview

Despite achieving "double-double," Lee Hyun-joong, who blamed himself for being "disappointed in himself," conducted "extra training" alone after the interview

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Lee Hyun-joong, who joined the national team for the first time in three years, blamed himself and conducted additional training.토토사이트

The South Korean basketball team, led by head coach Ahn Joon-ho, won 86-78 against Indonesia in the '2025 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifier' held at Sono Arena in Goyang on the 21st.

Korea had two wins and one loss to gain the upper hand in the race for second place, but suffered a humiliating loss until the third quarter. Korea also expressed regret in regional defense, including allowing 23 points to Anthony Bean Jr.

Lee was also blocked. Lee achieved double-double by scoring 12 points and 11 rebounds, but failed to display strength in offense until the third quarter, as he failed to score a three-point shot. Rather, Yoo Ki-sang scored a three-point shot with three shots, resulting in Korea's victory.

Lee Hyun-joong expressed regret in the mixed zone after the game. "I think I had a bad influence on the team when I didn't get a shot overall. I should have done it confidently and boldly when shooting, but I'm sorry to the team members, the coach, and the fans. I'm glad that I won the game and I'm going to prepare for the match against Australia," he said.

In the meantime, he expressed his gratitude to Lee. "Seung-hyun was good at the center. I couldn't score an outside shot, but I couldn't focus on the outside shot, so the game didn't go well. I'm grateful that Seung-hyun always put in a mid-range jumper and created an offens rebound or a second chance. Since it's not my best performance, I'm going to do it properly from the practice."

Lee Hyun-joong, who joined the Santa Cruz Warriors, an NBA G League team under the Golden State Warriors, signed a three-year contract with the Illawarra Hawks in February 2023. Lee, who has since signed a short-term contract with Osaka Evette, has returned to the U.S. and is active in the Portland Summer League.

"It's all an excuse. I'm not ready," Lee said of the long flight. "All the opponents were on the plane. It's no excuse at all. I thought we prepared well in terms of performance, but I think we should have prepared more. It's my fault. I'm disappointed in myself that I didn't show my best performance."

South Korea will play against Australia on the 24th. "I'm not disparaging Indonesia, but Australia is tall and has a really good skill," Lee Hyun-joong said. "You have to be quick one by one. I think we have to do better scouting in more detail. Since we have better physicality, if we play box-out like the match against Indonesia, we may lose more offens rebounds."

After the mixed zone interview, Lee began additional training. When asked by a Korean team official, "Do I not need to eat?" Lee answered, "Yes, I am okay," and ran to the court. After completing the shooting training, he left the stadium.