Lee Hyun-jung (basketball) should not be confused with Lee Jung-hyun (basketball).
| Lee Hyun-jung | |
| Position: | Shooting guard / small forward |
| Height Ft: | 6 |
| Height In: | 7 |
| Weight Lb: | 210 |
| League: | NBL |
| Team: | Illawarra Hawks |
| Number: | 2 |
| Birth Date: | 23 October 2000 |
| Birth Place: | Seongnam, South Korea |
| High School: |
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| College: | Davidson (2019–2022) |
| Draftyear: | 2022 |
| Career Start: | 2018 |
| Years1: | 2018–2019 |
| Team1: | BA Centre of Excellence |
| Years2: | 2023 |
| Team2: | Santa Cruz Warriors |
| Years3: | 2023–present |
| Team3: | Illawarra Hawks |
| Highlights: |
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Lee Hyun-jung (born October 23, 2000) is a South Korean professional basketball player for the Illawarra Hawks of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL). He played college basketball for the Davidson Wildcats of the Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10).
Lee attended Samil Commercial School in Suwon, where he played basketball under the coaching of his father.[1] In middle school, Lee was only 170cm (70inches) 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 190cm (80inches). 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]
After suffering a foot injury,[14] [15] Lee went undrafted in the 2022 NBA draft.[16]
On February 20, 2023, Lee was acquired by the Santa Cruz Warriors of the NBA G League.[17] In 12 games to complete the 2022–23 season, he averaged 5.5 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game.[18]
Lee played for the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2023 NBA Summer League.[19]
On July 11, 2023, Lee signed a three-year deal with the Illawarra Hawks of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL).[19] On January 20, 2024, he had career-best night in the NBL with 24 points on 5-of-8 three-point shooting in a 96–89 loss to the Adelaide 36ers.[20]
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.[21] [22] 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.[23] He played for the senior team at the 2020 FIBA Men's Olympic Qualifying Tournaments and during the 2022 FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers.[24]
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.[25]
|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2019–20| style="text-align:left;"| Davidson| 28 || 0 || 20.9 || .467 || .377 || .857 || 3.1 || .8 || .6 || .1 || 8.4|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2020–21| style="text-align:left;"| Davidson| 22 || 22 || 29.9 || .508 || .442 || .900 || 4.0 || 2.5 || .5 || .4 || 13.5|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2021–22| style="text-align:left;"| Davidson| 34 || 33 || 32.1 || .474 || .381 || .777 || 6.0 || 1.9 || .7 || .3 || 15.8|- class="sortbottom"| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career| 84 || 55 || 27.8 || .481 || .397 || .823 || 4.5 || 1.7 || .6 || .2 || 12.7
|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2022–23| style="text-align:left;"| Santa Cruz| 12 || 0 || 17.6 || .319 || .292 || .600 || 4.2 || 1.7 || .8 || .3 || 5.5|- class="sortbottom"| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career| 12 || 0 || 17.6 || .319 || .292 || .600 || 4.2 || 1.7 || .8 || .3 || 5.5