Lee, Illawarra community welcome Lunar New Year

There’s more than meets the eye to Illawarra’s 13-point win over Brisbane in Round 18. The victory saw the Hawks rise up to fourth, but it also saw the club celebrate the impending Lunar New Year in style for South Korean star Hyunjung Lee.

Lee is the first South Korean player to ever play in the NBL, and his addition to the league follows stints from fellow Asian superstars Kai Sotto (Philippines), Yudai Baba (Japan) and Zhou Qi (China), as the NBL continues to tap into the global nature of the game of basketball.

Lee started against the Bullets and across NBL24 has proven himself to be an integral role player in Justin Tatum’s resurgent team.

“I’m grateful for the team for preparing events to promote Korean culture before the match,” Lee told SBS Korean.

“I was very encouraged by many Korean fans coming to the Illawarra to support me.”

Hawks CEO Stu Taggart says the opportunity to celebrate the Lunar Year allowed the club to continue to engage with different parts of the city’s community.

“It was fantastic to see kids and families come out,” Taggart said.

“We want to acknowledge the Korean community, besides the support for Hyunjung Lee. We see it every week and want to welcome the Korean community to any of our home games or games across Australia.”

Illawarra’s season continues on Friday night when the Hawks take on the Breakers at 5:30pm AEDT, live on ESPN via Kayo, and Sky Sport in NZ.