"I will be 'big Lee Jung-hyun' as long as I'm on the court," says 'ALL No. 1' in domestic scoring, assists, 3-pointers and playing time

Pro Basketball Sono 'Small' Lee Jung-hyun

1R Average 20.9 ppg - 7.2 apg 1st in Korea

1st overall in playing time with an average of 37 minutes and 23 seconds

"As a student, I didn't want to be a center and focused on dribbling.

Usually introverted on the court"

Lee Jung-hyun, a point guard for the professional basketball team Sono, dribbles the ball to warm up before a team training session at the Goyang Sono Arena in Goyang, South Korea, on Sept. 9. "My height (187 centimeters) is also shorter than my brother's (191 centimeters)," said Lee, who is known as "Jak Jung-hyun" because he shares the same name as Samsung's Lee Jung-hyun, who made his debut in 2010, "but I want to be the 'big Jung-hyun' in terms of basketball skills. 

It was "computer guard" Lee Sang-min (51, current KCC coach) who lit the "No. 1 lantern" in the heart of "small" Lee Jung-hyun (24, Sono) when he was in elementary school. Lee used to travel to Jeonju Gymnasium, a 50-minute drive from his home in Gunsan, Jeollabuk-do, to watch professional basketball games. At Jeonju Gymnasium, Lee Sang-min played position number one (point guard) and served as the field commander of the Anbang team, KCC.

When we recently met, Lee (187cm) said, "I was the tallest player in the basketball team at Gunsan. I wanted to continue playing point guard, but I was afraid that the coach would say, 'Play center,' so I practiced shooting and dribbling harder. I liked being a point guard to that extent," he said.

"I'm an introvert who thinks, 'I don't want anyone to pay attention to me,' but when I step on the court, I want to be the center of attention with my spectacular play and lead my teammates to victory," he said.

Sono's guard Lee Jung-hyun on the 9th. 

In fact, it's no exaggeration to say that SONO's success this season has depended on Lee's performance. As of the end of the first round (14 days), SONO won the four games in which Lee averaged 26.3 points, 8.3 assists and a 57.6% three-point shooting percentage. But in the five games where he averaged just 16.7 points, 6.4 assists, and 26.6 percent shooting from three, Sono lost.

Despite the team's disappointing 4-5 record (7th place) in the first round, Lee Jung-hyun's individual record is impeccable. Lee finished the first round averaging 20.9 points and 7.2 assists in nine games. He leads all Korean players in both points and assists. Excluding foreigners and mixed-race naturalized players, the last time a Korean-born player averaged more than 20 points in a season was Bang Sung-yoon (41, SK - 22.1) in 2007-08. This season, Lee set a new career-high for points in a game when he scored 34 points against Hyundai Mobis on March 29. On that day, Lee's field goal percentage was 90%, which is something you'd only see in a basketball cartoon.

Professional basketball Sono guard Lee Jung-hyun smiles as he stands holding a basketball. 

Just last season, it would have been hard to expect this kind of performance from Lee. Lee averaged 9.7 points and 2.7 assists in his rookie season in 2021-2022 and 15.0 points and 4.2 assists last season. The expectations from his time at Gunsan High, where he was even talked about as a possible NBA player, have been realized in just three years since he joined the pro ranks.

"I think the best point guard right now is Heo Hoon (KT), and I want to surpass him this season when he returns from the military," Lee said. Heo Hoon, who was discharged from the Armed Forces on July 15, also said, "Jung Hyun-i has really improved (this season). It's amazing," he said, adding, "It would be fun to play against him." 카지노사이트