S. Korean basketball player Lee Hyun-jung signs with G League team

▲ In this file photo from Jan. 13, 2023, South Korean basketball prospect Lee Hyun-jung speaks at a press conference in Seoul. (Yonhap)

▲ In this file photo from Jan. 13, 2023, South Korean basketball prospect Lee Hyun-jung holds a basketball during his open training session in Seoul. (Yonhap)

▲ In this file photo from Jan. 13, 2023, South Korean basketball prospect Lee Hyun-jung dribbles a ball during his open training session in Seoul. (Yonhap)

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S. Korean basketball player Lee Hyun-jung signs with G League team

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, Feb. 22 (Yonhap) -- Undrafted out of college, South Korean basketball player Lee Hyun-jung has landed in the G League, taking an important step toward realizing his NBA dreams.

The G League, the second-tier developmental league of the NBA, announced Monday (U.S. local time) that the Santa Cruz Warriors acquired Lee via waivers.

The G League Warriors, an affiliate of the NBA's Golden State Warriors, put No. 28 next to the name of the Davidson product on its website. He will be the fourth South Korean to play in the G League.

Lee entered last year's NBA draft, following his junior season at Davidson, but hurt his left foot during a workout a week before the draft.

He rehabbed his injury for about six months in South Korea and then traveled back to the United States in January, hoping to find a place in the G League.

Lee was trying to become just the second South Korean to be drafted in the NBA, after the retired center Ha Seung-jin, the 46th pick by the Portland Trail Blazers in 2004.

Lee averaged a career-high 15.8 points and six rebounds per game in the 2021-22 season, en route to making the Atlantic 10 All-Conference First Team.

As a sophomore in the 2020-2021 season, Lee became the first Wildcat to put up the coveted 50-40-90 shooting numbers: 50.8 percent from the field, 44.2 percent from the three-point range and 90 percent from the free throw line.

Lee comes from a basketball family. His mother, Seong Jeong-a, helped South Korea win the silver medal in basketball at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. His father, Lee Yun-hwan, played semi-pro hoops in the 1980s and has been a prominent high school coach since retiring as a player in 1991.

The greatest NBA player to come out of Davidson, Stephen Curry, plays for the NBA Warriors.

The G League regular season concludes in late March. Santa Cruz is currently ranked ninth in the Western Conference at 9-9.

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