Lee Jong-hyun (born February 5, 1994) is a South Korean professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player for the

Anyang Jung Kwan Jang Red Boosters The Anyang Jung Kwan Jang Red Boosters ( ko, 안양 정관장 레드부스터스) is a professional basketball club in the Korean Basketball League, based at Anyang Gymnasium in the city of Anyang. The club has won four KBL championship titles ( 2 ...

of the

Korean Basketball League The Korean Basketball League (KBL; ) is a professional men's basketball league in South Korea which was established in 1997. The league consists of ten teams and each team plays a total of 54 games (27 home and 27 away) in the regular season. H ...

(KBL).

Early years

Lee started playing basketball in elementary school under the influence of his father, a former basketball player with Busan Kia Enterprise (which is now

Ulsan Hyundai Mobis Phoebus The Ulsan Hyundai Mobis Phoebus is a professional basketball club in the Korean Basketball League. History Foundation and amateur era Before the professional Korean Basketball League was established in 1997, domestic basketball was an amateur s ...

). He was schoolmates with Moon Seong-gon and

Choi Jun-yong Choi Jun-yong ( ko, 최준용 ; born April 4, 1994) is a South Korean basketball player for Seoul SK Knights and the South Korean national team. Career High school and college career Choi attended Kyungbock High School and was classmates with ...

Kyungbock High School Kyungbock High School () is one of the oldest modern secondary school in South Korea. It is located in Jongno-gu, Seoul, near Gyeongbok Palace, after which it is named. It was established on April 18, 1921. The school's original name was the No. 2 ...

and they were dubbed the "Kyungbock Trio" by rival high school teams for their well-rounded offensive capabilities.

College career

Lee would join Moon, a year his senior, at

Korea University Korea University (KU, ) is a private research university in Seoul, South Korea, established in 1905. The university is included as one of the SKY universities, a popular acronym referring to Korea's three most prestigious universities. The ...

while Choi went to rivals

Yonsei University Yonsei University (; ) is a private research university in Seoul, South Korea. As a member of the "SKY" universities, Yonsei University is deemed one of the three most prestigious institutions in the country. It is particularly respected in the ...

. At that time, his teammates also included

Kang Sang-jae Kang Sang-jae (born 31 December 1994) is a South Korean professional basketball player. He began his career with the Korean Basketball League side Incheon Electroland Elephants and is now playing for Wonju DB Promy. Early years A native of Daegu ...

and

Lee Seoung-hyun Lee Seoung-hyun ( ko, 이승현; born April 16, 1992) is a South Korean professional basketball player for the Jeonju KCC Egis of the Korean Basketball League. He represented South Korea's national basketball team at the 2016 FIBA Asia Chall ...

and they were mostly competing against a

Kim Jong-kyu Kim Jong-kyu (born July 3, 1991) is a South Korean professional basketball player. He currently plays for Wonju DB Promy in the Korean Basketball League and the South Korean national team. Early life Kim was not initially interested in basket ...

and Kim Min-goo-inspired

Kyung Hee University Kyung Hee University (abbreviated to KHU) (Hangul: 경희대학교; Hanja: 慶熙大學校) is a private research university in South Korea with campuses in Seoul and Suwon. Founded in 1949, it is widely regarded as one of the best universities i ...

in the

U-League The U-League, officially KUSF College Sports U-League (Korean: KUSF 대학스포츠 U-리그), is operated by the Korea University Sports Federation (KUSF), the organization which oversees college sports in South Korea. The KUSF U-League operates in ...

. During his freshman year, he played a pivotal role in Korea University winning the

MBC Cup The MBC Cup (Korean: MBC배) is an annual competition organized by the Korea University Basketball Federation (Korean: 한국대학농구연맹) and sponsored by broadcaster Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC). It is one of the oldest basketball ...

for the first time in seventeen years and was named MVP of the tournament. He declared as a prospect in the 2015 NBA draft on April 22, 2015. As an early entrant in the 2015 NBA draft, he went

undrafted In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

. He returned to Korea University to continue his college career. During his junior year, he and

, dubbed "Twin Towers" because of their height, led Korea University to a surprise win over a Sangmu team composed of experienced KBL players fulfilling their mandatory military service.

Professional career

Lee was considered one of the "big 3", along with Kang and

, of the 2016 KBL rookie draft and strong contenders for the first pick of the first round. He was drafted first overall by

. After an underwhelming start to his rookie season, he scored 24 points and 18 rebounds in January against

Changwon LG Sakers Changwon LG Sakers are a basketball team located in the city of Changwon in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. They play in the Korean Basketball League, and their home arena is Changwon Gymnasium which has a capacity for approximately 6,000 ...

. Throughout 2018 Lee struggled with injury. In February he ruptured his

Achilles tendon The Achilles tendon or heel cord, also known as the calcaneal tendon, is a tendon at the back of the lower leg, and is the thickest in the human body. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius (calf) and soleus muscles to the calcaneus (h ...

which effectively ended his season. He spent the off-season in rehabilitation and recovered in time for the 2018–19 season. However, he fractured his left

patella The patella, also known as the kneecap, is a flat, rounded triangular bone which articulates with the femur (thigh bone) and covers and protects the anterior articular surface of the knee joint. The patella is found in many tetrapods, such as m ...

in a December game. He was ruled out of the rest of the season as it required surgery. In November 2020, Lee was traded to

Goyang Orion Orions Goyang Carrot Jumpers (Korean: 고양 캐롯 점퍼스) is a professional basketball club based in Goyang, South Korea which plays in the Korean Basketball League. Before the change of ownership in 2022, they were called Orions. History Dayo ...

for

Choi Jin-soo Choi Jin-soo (Korean: 최진수, formerly known as Jin Soo Kim; born 11 May 1989) is a South Korean basketball player who played for University of Maryland, College Park and the Korea national basketball team. He is the first South Korean to re ...

in a player swap.

National team career

Lee was first called up to the senior national team while in college, participating in the

2013 FIBA Asia Championship The 2013 FIBA Asia Championship for Men was the intercontinental championship for basketball organized by FIBA Asia that served as the qualifying tournament for the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain. The tournament was held from August 1–1 ...

. He participated at the

2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup The 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup was the 17th edition of the FIBA Basketball World Cup, the tournament previously known as the FIBA World Championship. Hosted by Spain, it was the last tournament to be held on the then-current four-year cycle ...

and the

Asian Games The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a continental multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation (AGF) from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until t ...

that same year. The South Koreans won gold for the first time since

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

, which meant that Lee and his teammates who had yet to enlist for

mandatory military service Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it continues in some countries to the present day un ...

were granted exemptions. He missed out on the

2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup The 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup was the 18th tournament of the FIBA Basketball World Cup for men's national basketball teams. The tournament was hosted in China and was rescheduled from 2018 to 2019, becoming the first since 1967 FIBA World Ch ...

due to his injury.

References

External links

Career Statistics
from the

website {{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Jong-hyun 1994 births Living people 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup players Basketball players at the 2014 Asian Games Centers (basketball) Korea University alumni Kyungbock High School alumni South Korean men's basketball players Asian Games medalists in basketball Asian Games gold medalists for South Korea Medalists at the 2014 Asian Games Ulsan Hyundai Mobis Phoebus players Basketball players from Seoul