Sowing the 3&D Seeds
Waaaaah! The cheers were so deafening they made my ears ring.
I let out a tired breath and lightly clenched my fist.
‘I won!’
The game itself had been satisfying too. I hadn’t missed a single free throw, and I’d even converted the double-clutch layup that had been a constant headache. Perfect games like this didn’t come often.
…Still, one thing lingered in my mind.
‘Was I afraid?’
The moment I passed the ball to Su-bin at the end. It could be called a smart play—finding the open man—but someone might accuse me of lacking confidence, of dodging the responsibility as the first option and passing off the bullet instead.
‘Did I give it to Su-bin because I was scared of missing, or did I genuinely judge that the pass was the correct decision…?’
I couldn’t tell. Even now, with a cool head, I didn’t know what the right answer had been. Should I have forced the shot as the number-one option, or was trusting my teammate and passing the smarter move?
One thing was certain, though: the result proved it had been the right choice.
‘For now, that’s enough.’
With the tension gone, I shook hands with the nearby Iranian players and exchanged greetings. Hamed Haddadi, who was closest, gave me a bitter smile.
“Now I understand why you were picked in the top ten. Facing you will be one of the great honors of my basketball life.”
“I feel the same. You played hard, Haddadi.”
While we were exchanging those words—
“Oooooh…!!”
—a collective sigh rose from the female spectators. I turned and saw Su-bin covering his face with both hands, crying.
“You idiot…”
I walked over to him.
“Hey, stop crying. If you cry here, your female fans will double, you know?”
“…Haha.”
My words must have lifted his mood; Su-bin laughed through reddened eyes. The young female fans gasped at the sight, as if it were a painting.
“You worked hard out there, Su-bin. That last shot was incredible.”
“You too, hyung.”
I pulled him into a hug, patted his back, and whispered.
“Keep grinding here. Let’s meet again someday, without fail.”
“I’ll catch up to you no matter what. So you have to survive in the NBA until I get there.”
“Of course. Didn’t I say I’d clear the path for you?”
“Yeah.”
Applause rained down on us—clap clap clap clap clap!
The fans’ passionate cheers felt like a blessing for the road ahead. Soon after, the gold medal ceremony began.
.
.
.
Because of the gold medal ceremony, no on-court interviews were held. A separate press conference took place afterward. The prepared room was packed with reporters waiting for me. The moment I sat down and pulled the microphone closer, the questions flew.
“First, please give us your overall impressions of today’s game.”
“It was a difficult match. Our players struggled to find their rhythm, and more than anything, Iran was strong. That made the first half especially tough. Still, the fact that we overcame it makes me proud of our team.”
“Proud of the team? Your individual stats were so dominant they’re hard to ignore.”
My line today had been forty-six points (eighteen of thirty-five from the field, two of six from three, eight of eight from the line), six assists, seven rebounds (one offensive, six defensive), three blocks, three steals, and two turnovers. With the team’s total at seventy-four points, I had scored more than sixty percent of our offense.
“This is a performance that will go down in the history of Korean basketball! You set the Asian Games final scoring record, after all!”
“I’m grateful for the praise, but personally I believe there could have been a better path. If it had been my former teammate Nikola Jokic or Vasilije Micic, they would have produced similar—or even better—results by elevating their teammates.”
“How modest.”
“In truth, I still have a long way to go. There are many skills I need to learn and many qualities I need to develop as a player. Scoring a lot doesn’t automatically mean I played a good game. So I hope you’ll praise the teammates who trusted the path I chose and helped turn it into a victory.”
This was sincere, but it was also a preemptive move to keep criticism from falling on my teammates. A wave of admiration swept through the room.
After that came questions about my evaluation of Haddadi and Varamin, followed by my ambitions for the NBA.
“What are your goals for this NBA season?”
The reporters seemed to expect answers like establishing myself as a starter, making the All-Rookie Second Team, or winning Sixth Man. But—
‘A goal that small? No way.’
When I played in the EPL I always stated twenty goals a season. There was no downside to aiming high. The bigger the target, the better.
Even so, I wasn’t about to name something outrageous.
‘If we set Season MVP on the level of the Ballon d’Or and First Team on the level of league best and exclude those… then the next title is—’
“So Rookie of the Year is the goal, as expected?”
“No. I see Rookie of the Year as a title that will come naturally.”
“……?”
“My goal for this season is the All-NBA Third Team.”
The reaction was less than enthusiastic.
“Pfft!”
“Hahahaha!”
“What a wonderful goal!”
“We hope you achieve it!”
The reporters burst into loud laughter, taking it as a joke.
“If the Third Team is your target, Rookie of the Year and All-Rookie First Team must be all but guaranteed!”
“Haha, exactly.”
I had no interest in arguing with them. If they thought it was a joke, it simply meant I wasn’t respected enough yet.
‘Once the season hits full swing, I’ll make sure none of them can laugh it off. Without fail.’
Anyway, the press conference was winding down.
“Finally, could you speak about your future with the national team?”
This was the real point. I had decided to do what I had been thinking about for a long time: plant the seeds.
“Before that, may I speak about the Korean basketball scene as a whole?”
“…? Of course. Please go ahead.”
“Lately I’ve been hearing the same question a lot. ‘My son is a high-school basketball player—if he goes to Serbia, can he develop?’ Many parents ask me that.”
The reporters held their breath. This was a sensitive topic in Korean basketball circles right now.
“I always answer the same way. Going abroad can be a good experience, but securing a proper contract is difficult, and without the language it can actually become a disadvantage. The important thing isn’t the stage—it’s the direction of growth.”
“What direction do you mean?”
“It’s simple. Regardless of position—guard, forward, or center—every player must be able to shoot threes.”
The room stirred.
“Even high-school players… No, even college players still have time. They should add the three-point shot and train their defense right now. The coaches need to understand this, and the players’ parents must support it strongly. To succeed as a pro, after mastering the fundamentals of your position, you must train both the three-pointer and defense without exception.”
“But if everyone only shoots threes, team play will disappear and the level of high-school basketball might actually drop, won’t it?”
“One month after I started playing basketball I averaged thirty-five points and won the national high-school championship. I’m not trying to belittle anyone, but I don’t think the current level of high-school team basketball is particularly high. So even if teams focus on individual talent right now, the overall level will rise together.”
Seeing that many still looked unconvinced, I decided to use Su-bin as an example. I told them everything—how he had agreed to go to Serbia with me and the dazzling growth he had shown.
“Thanks to that, Su-bin made the national team in a single year and entered the pro league as the first overall pick. Of course Su-bin’s own relentless effort played a huge part, but I believe the correct direction of growth was crucial.”
“Regarding that direction and the results—what level would you consider proper growth?”
I gave them a concrete statistical target.
“A career three-point percentage of thirty-seven percent. For centers, even thirty-five percent is acceptable.”
“……!”
“And if many players reach that mark, I want to help them enjoy smooth, successful careers.”
“When you say ‘help’…?”
“You asked about my future with the national team earlier, right? If several players achieve that kind of career three-point percentage, I would gladly return for the next Asian Games. I will play and help those players.”
My remarks created such a huge topic that my statement about targeting the All-NBA Third Team was completely buried. Basketball fans dismissed it as a joke and instead set the community on fire with the later comments.
In fact, that was exactly my plan. Maximize spacing to create driving lanes for myself, then use drive-and-kick plays to generate points. It was the only way I believed we could beat powerhouses like Canada, France, and Germany.
Overall, the reaction was positive. NBA fans and Korean basketball fans alike agreed. Korean basketball had long been criticized for killing individual personality, so my criticism struck a direct chord.
It wasn’t that Su-bin had been the only elite player, but watching the discussion reminded me of a promise I had made.
‘Oh right, I was supposed to meet Chang-min today. What time is it?’
The clock showed it was already close to noon.
“Better wash up and head out.”
Su-bin had gone to sign an advertising contract, so the house was empty. Offers were flooding in for me too, but I had no time. NBA preseason had already begun. Delaying my team arrival to shoot commercials would be ridiculous. My confirmed departure date was October 8—two days from now.
Until then I planned to finish cleaning up personal matters, especially those related to Seo-eun. Meeting friends including Chang-min had been arranged for that reason.
After getting ready, I stood in front of the shoe cabinet mirror and tilted my head.
“Sunglasses should be enough, right?”
Wearing a hat and mask on top felt too dramatic, so I only put on sunglasses and headed to Sungkyunkwan University where I was meeting Chang-min. I had expected some people might recognize me.
But… it happened way too fast.
“Excuse me, are you Lee Seo-jun?”
The auntie who stepped into the elevator with me recognized me instantly. That much I could understand—everyone knew Su-bin and I lived in this building.
What came next, however, was on another level. Not long after arriving at Sungkyunkwan University—
“Hey! It’s Lee Seo-jun!”
“For real?!”
“They said the basketball team was coming today—was that true?”
University students recognized me as if by magic. Startled, I hurried into the bathroom. I didn’t want to cause a scene. I quickly put on the mask and cap I had brought just in case and stepped out again.
Yet—
“There he is! Lee Seo-jun!!”
“…!?”
How were they still spotting me? Was it the height?
Students began swarming toward me. Before long the crowd that had started with about twenty people asking for autographs had swelled to hundreds.