‘Oh, it’s Lee Hak-hyun, he’s really grown up’

As part of the KBL’s youth discovery project, the 2024 Youth Measurement Project and Injury Prevention Program, we met Lee Hak-hyun, who swept elementary school basketball with his cuteness in 2010.

Lee Hak-hyun (18, 181 cm, guard, Gyeongbok High School) was the “cutie star” of amateur basketball in elementary school. He started playing elite basketball in the second grade, and his cute appearance made him an elementary school basketball star, bouncing basketballs bigger than his face alongside his older brothers, 홀덤 who were more than 30 centimeters taller than him.

Regardless of his basketball skills, his cute appearance was enough to win over basketball fans, and Lee grew up and became a high school sophomore. I met him again at Gyeongbok High School, the venue for the KBL measurement project.

Lee was in his third year of high school, but for various reasons, he chose to take a year off and continue his life as a basketball player.

Although he had grown into a young man, he still had the appearance of a child. He was serious about his measurements and participating in a newly launched injury prevention program.

When we met after all the events, Lee replied ‘hello’ to the ‘nice to meet you’ greeting, and then added, ‘I’m working out hard in my own way.

He continued, “I was measured last year as well. My height and wingspan have increased. My athleticism has also improved (laughs), and I was able to find out about my athleticism through this event. I also realized that one of my ankles is a little weak. I think it will be a good guideline for me to build my body in the future,” he smiled.

Lee, a sophomore, participated in the Haenam Games in March and the Glory Games in April. Both times were under 10 minutes. However, he didn’t have much to show for it.

“I started playing basketball early, but there are still many things I lack. I still need to work on my confidence and situational judgment. I still need to improve my stats as a guard. Especially, my balance and game management are not good enough. He needs to improve his stats. His shooting and dribbling are also lacking. I need to work harder. I think I played about 10 minutes in the previous two tournaments,” he said.

When asked about his goals, Lee said, “I’m working really hard right now. I want to be an essential player for the team. There are still people who recognize me. I hear that I’ve grown a lot. I also want to hear that I’m a good basketball player now,” he said, smiling brightly.