Reporter Jang Bo-in = Lee Hyun-joong (23), who took a breath to recover from his injury, runs again for the NBA challenge.
In an interview held on the 13th at Hotel Peyto Gangnam, Seocho-gu, Seoul, Lee Hyun-joong said, “I’m leaving for America on the 15th. When I arrive, I’ll meet Dr. Richard Perkel, who operated on his foot, confirm it, and I’ll start my schedule later.”
Lee Hyun-joong, who declared his NBA draft challenge last year when he was a junior at Davidson University in the U.S., suffered bad news injuring his spine and ligaments in his left foot during a workout with clubs in June. It was his biggest injury since he started playing basketball.
He fell short of the 58 starting list in the NBA draft that same month, and then underwent surgery on his left foot.
Lee Hyun-joong, who came to Korea with regret behind him, devoted himself to rehabilitation for about six months.
Lee Hyun-joong said, “My foot broke during the workout, and the injury was so great that I felt that something was wrong at the moment. I remember going to the hospital without thinking about anything because it was so painful.” .
However, he did not evaluate that the injury only became a ‘stumbling block’ for him.
“I was frustrated at first, and it was very difficult mentally,” said Hyunjoong Lee, “As time passed, I thought that if I struggled alone, I would become ‘poison’. I was also able to learn how to make it. It was a grateful experience.”
He smiled, saying, “I definitely feel stronger (than before the injury). Before, I didn’t know how to use my feet properly. I think I was able to prevent a bigger injury thanks to this injury. I was lucky.”
Prior to the interview, Lee Hyun-joong revealed a 15-minute rehabilitation exercise at the 3Ps Performance Lab in Seocho-gu.
After sweating and exercising his core and lower body, he confidently said, “I haven’t received a doctor’s confirmation yet, and I haven’t played with players in the US, but I think I’m in 100% condition.”
Lee Hyun-joong, who is returning to the United States, plans to continue challenging the NBA by pushing for a contract with the G-League, an NBA lower league.
Regarding the failure to be nominated for the rookie draft, he frankly confessed, “If I said I wasn’t disappointed, I would be lying. I was also frustrated.” You have to think about whether you will become a player,” he stressed.
He continued, “Failure is not a bad thing. I learned a lot through failure and found something to improve on. I want to keep trying even if I fail again and again. I have no fear of failure.”
He also gained confidence while experiencing workouts.
He said, “I thought I was the best at shooting in the draft class. I didn’t think ‘I’m competitive’, but I thought ‘of course I can win’.”
His explanation is that in order to be competitive, he also supplemented in terms of physical and technical aspects.
Lee Hyun-joong said, “I was evaluated as physically weak, so I paid attention to that part. I bulked up and at the same time trained not to lose speed. I tried to have a variety of attacks.” “Davidson University 3rd year I used to weigh 90-91 kg, but now I weigh 98-99 kg, but my body isn’t heavy and my speed seems to have improved.”
He went further and overcame the trauma of his injury by training in the clothes he was wearing when he was injured. 바카라사이트
Now, no matter which team he goes to, Lee Hyun-joong, who said, “I can do anything helpful to the team,” said, “I want to play the role of defense, rebound, and ball handler.
” I want to show myself, and I want to become a player who can change the atmosphere of the team by injecting energy into it.”
There are also suspicions that it will not be easy for a Korean player to advance into the NBA, but Lee Hyun-joong said, “I don’t care at all.”
He responded boldly, saying, “It’s a challenge I do because I like it, and those words rather stimulate me. It’s a pity in a way because they seem to be envious of me challenging my dreams.”
At the same time, he said, “I will challenge like a zombie,” and said, “When I am frustrated by failure, I will rise again like a zombie and try again, and if I fall down again, I will rise again like a zombie.”