By Ken Marantz, OCA Media
Nagoya, Japan, September 27, 2026: Lee Haeran had no qualms about Korean teammate and star guard Park Hi Jyun skipping the Asian Games to return to her WNBA team.
Having helped fill the hole and leading Korea to women’s basketball gold, Lee would now like to follow her compatriot to the world’s premier league.
“We do know that Park has a big impact on the national team,” Lee said following Korea’s 75-70 victory over Japan in the championship game on Saturday night at Aichi International Arena.
“But we did not want her to feel bad about not being here. I tried to do my best to fill the hole.”
She did just that, scoring a game-high 24 points and grabbing a team-high nine rebounds as Korea won its first Asian Games gold since 2014 and fifth overall, while ending a seven-game losing streak to Japan, including losses in two friendlies last month.
Now the 1.82-meter forward would like to take her game to a higher level.
“I want to follow her (Park),” said the 23-year-old Lee, who currently plays for the Samsung Blue Minx of the KBL. “I like playing in the Korean League, but I would like to have a new experience and I would like to get to the WNBA.”
If there were WNBA scouts among the raucous crowd on Saturday, they could not have been anything but impressed by the speed, dexterity and skill of Lee, who spurred an early spurt that propelled the Koreans to victory.
Lee scored 12 points in the first quarter alone as Korea opened the game with a 15-3 run before taking a 27-15 lead into the second period. At halftime, the lead was up to 42-23, swelling to 20 points midway through the third quarter.
But basketball is filled with ebbs and tides, and the Japanese, seeking their first Asian Games title since 1998, launched a ferocious comeback that pulled them within two with :15 to go.
The Koreans kept their cool, got the stop they needed, and clinched the game when Kang Leeseul hit a pair of free throws and Lee iced the victory with one of her own.
“We felt they were chasing us, but we had the feeling that we were going to win and get the gold medal,” Lee said. “We were always confident and didn’t really mind. They were playing their game. We just wanted to win the game.”
Korea, which was also missing a key player in former WNBA center Park Ji-su, showed no sign of letdown having to play a day after pulling off a stunning win over two-time defending champion China in the semifinals.
“It is what it is,” Lee said. “We just tried to enjoy the game, because it’s sports, it’s all about the game, and we were confident.”
Lee acknowledged that she felt the pressure of playing without the two top players.
“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel any pressure,” she said. “But I thought that if I focused on doing my job and played more aggressively, I could produce a better performance.
“I know myself better than anyone, so I think I pushed myself quite hard, and through that I grew a lot. And even though two of our key players were missing, we had the chance to prove that we’re not a weak team without them.”
On the court, Lee displays the exuberance and joy for the game that she showed as a child growing up in Seoul as the daughter of a Philippine mother who always offered support.
“I was very outgoing, playing outdoor activities and that’s how my mother found that I have talent in sports,” Lee said. “That’s how I got a chance to improve and eventually be on the national team.
At the Asian Games, Lee, who sat out one group-stage game, finished sixth in the tournament in scoring by averaging 16.4 points per game.
“I think this is the happiest moment of my career,” Lee said. “At the Hangzhou Asian Games, unfortunately, we only won bronze. But this time I think we were able to show everyone that we are truly one team, and through all our hard work we were able to win the gold medal.”
