Point guard Lee Dae-sung joins Seahorses Mikawa on one-year deal

Daegu Kogas Pegasus's Lee Dae-sung shoots during a KBL game against Ulsan Hyundai Mobis Phoebus at Ulsan Dongchun Gymnasium in Ulsan on March 14. [NEWS1]

Lee Dae-sung, top Korean scorer in the 2022-23 KBL season, signed with Japanese basketball team Seahorses Mikawa Wednesday on a one-year deal.

The 33-year-old point guard was the most notable player at Daegu Kogas Pegasus last season, scoring 924 points in total in 51 league games — averaging 18.1 points per game.

Despite his efforts, Pegasus finished the season in ninth place on the 10-team table.

Earning free agency at the end of the season, Lee looked for opportunity to play overseas and chose the Seahorses over an offer from another Japanese team and the Australian league.

The main reason behind his move to the Seahorses is new coach Ryan Richman, who is taking the helm starting next season.

Richman previously worked as an assistant coach at NBA team Washington Wizards from 2018 to 2019 and was NBA G League — a minor league under the NBA — team Capital City Go-Go’s head coach from 2019 through 2020, before returning to the Wizards as an assistant coach for the last three seasons.

“I thought I could learn a lot from the team that Ryan coaches,” Lee was quoted as saying by Korean media on Wednesday.

The Seahorses plays in the B. League — the first division in Japan — and finished in fifth place last season in the eight-team central conference, failing to qualify for the playoffs.

The B. League consists of three separate conferences — east, central and west — with the top two teams from each conference and the two other teams with the best records joining the playoffs.

Established in 1947, the Seahorses have won the league five times, with their last victory in 2013.

The team includes a number of foreign players, mostly from the United States.

Lee will be the only Korean player in the team once he joins the club in August. This will also be Lee’s first time playing in Japan, but he has played overseas before — in the NBA G League in 2017.

Having started his career at KBL team Ulsan Hyundai Mobis Phoebus in 2013, Lee joined the Erie BayHawks through the 2017 NBA G League draft, but returned to the Phoebus two months later after struggling to adapt at the BayHawks.

“I am excited about experiencing and learning new basketball on a new stage,” Lee said. “I want to do my best as I enjoy the honor and joy of being with Mikawa.”

Lee will jet off to Japan next month to start training with the Seahorses ahead of the 2023-24 season, set to start in October.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]