David Lee (basketball)

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This article is about the NBA player. For the American Basketball Association player, see Dave Lee (basketball).

David Lee
Lee with the Warriors in March 2011
Personal information
Born (1983-04-29) April 29, 1983 (age 40)
St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Listed weight245 lb (111 kg)
Career information
High schoolChaminade
(Creve Coeur, Missouri)
CollegeFlorida (2001–2005)
NBA draft2005: 1st round, 30th overall pick
Selected by the New York Knicks
Playing career2005–2017
PositionPower forward / center
Number42, 10
Career history
2005–2010New York Knicks
2010–2015Golden State Warriors
2015–2016Boston Celtics
2016Dallas Mavericks
2016–2017San Antonio Spurs
Career highlights and awards
Career NBA statistics
Points11,232 (13.5 ppg)
Rebounds7,320 (8.8 rpg)
Assists1,825 (2.2 apg)
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

David Lee (born April 29, 1983) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Florida Gators before he was drafted 30th overall by the New York Knicks in the 2005 NBA draft. He was a 2-time NBA All-Star and was selected to the All-NBA Third Team in 2013.

Lee was drafted 30th overall by the New York Knicks in the 2005 NBA draft. He spent five seasons with the Knicks and in the 2010 offseason, Lee was signed and traded to the Golden State Warriors. With the Warriors, he won an NBA championship in 2015 in his fifth and final season with the team.

After short stints with the Boston Celtics, Dallas Mavericks, and San Antonio Spurs and becoming a free agent in June 2017, Lee retired in November 2017.

Early life[edit]

Lee was born in St. Louis, Missouri. He went to middle school at John Burroughs School and high school at Chaminade College Preparatory School, both in St. Louis suburbs.[1][2] Naturally left-handed, Lee became essentially ambidextrous when he broke his left arm and learned to play right-handed.[3] Lee was a McDonald's All American and won the 2001 Slam Dunk competition.[4] Lee was also named a first-team high school All-American by Parade magazine.[5]

College career[edit]

Lee accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he played for coach Billy Donovan's Florida Gators basketball team from 2001 to 2005. As a freshman in 2002, he was named to the All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) freshman team by the conference's coaches. During his sophomore season in 2002–03, he averaged 11.5 points and 7 rebounds a game. Lee was named a second-team All-SEC selection in his junior in 2003–04, while averaging 13 points and 7 rebounds per game.

Lee's senior year, he was joined by incoming freshmen and future NBA players Al Horford, Corey Brewer, Taurean Green, and Joakim Noah. The Gators went on to win the 2005 SEC men's basketball tournament—the Gators' first SEC men's basketball tournament championship—by defeating the Kentucky Wildcats 70–53 in the tournament final.

Professional career[edit]

New York Knicks (2005–2010)[edit]

Lee was selected by the Knicks with the team's second first-round pick (30th overall) in the 2005 NBA draft, following Channing Frye.[6] Lee signed with the team on July 1, 2005.[7]

Lee (right) with the Knicks in January 2007

Lee was installed as a starting forward for a stretch of 13 games in December 2005 and January 2006. Lee posted 23 points on 10–11 shooting, along with 15 rebounds and three steals in 52 minutes as the Knicks went on to defeat the Phoenix Suns in triple-overtime on January 2, 2006. Lee averaged 5.1 points (59.6%) and 4.5 rebounds per game in his rookie season while averaging 16.9 minutes of playing time in 67 games.

After Channing Frye was injured, Lee started his first game of the season against the Chicago Bulls on November 28, 2006. On December 16, 2006, he was one of 10 players ejected in the Knicks–Nuggets brawl. However, he was not involved in the brawl and was not suspended by the NBA. On December 20, 2006, in a double-overtime game against the Charlotte Bobcats with 0.1 seconds left, Lee scored the winning basket by tipping in an inbound pass. This was within the league's so-called Trent Tucker Rule, whereby a player cannot catch and shoot a successful field goal with less than three-tenths of a second remaining on the clock. At the All-Star break, Lee had averaged 11.1 points on 61% shooting (first in the league), an 80% free throw percentage, 10.8 rebounds (8th in NBA) and 1.8 assists in 30.9 minutes a game. On February 16, 2007, Lee, playing for the Sophomores, was named the Most Valuable Player in the Rookie Challenge, finishing with 30 points on 14 of 14 shooting from the field and 11 rebounds. On February 23, 2007, in a game against the Milwaukee Bucks, Lee came down on future teammate Andrew Bogut's foot and sprained his ankle. The original diagnosis was for him to only miss a few days, but nearly three weeks after the injury he was still unable to play. He was reexamined and the doctor found that he had a much more severe sprain than was originally diagnosed. Lee played only sporadic minutes for the remaining games of the season.

In the 2007–08 season, Lee continued to develop into a major contributor off the bench for the Knicks.[8]

On November 30, 2008, Lee scored 37 points, a career high, and became the first Knicks player with 30 points and 20 rebounds in a game since Patrick Ewing had 34 points and 25 rebounds on February 23, 1997.[9]

On December 9, 2008, in a game against the Chicago Bulls, Lee became the eleventh Knick to record 10 consecutive double-doubles.[10]

On February 11, 2010, Lee was chosen to replace an injured Allen Iverson on the East team at the 2010 NBA All-Star Game. He became the first Knick to make the All-Star team since Allan Houston and Latrell Sprewell appeared in the 2001 NBA All-Star Game.[11] On April 2, Lee recorded the first triple-double of his career, putting up 37 points, 20 rebounds, and 10 assists against the Golden State Warriors. He became the first player since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1976 to record at least 35 points, 20 rebounds and 10 assists in a game.[12] At the end of the season, Lee became an unrestricted free agent.[13] He had recorded career highs in points per game, as well as assists per game.

Golden State Warriors (2010–2015)[edit]

Lee became an unrestricted free agent in the 2010 off-season. On July 9, he was signed and traded to the Golden State Warriors, who sent Anthony Randolph, Kelenna Azubuike, Ronny Turiaf, and a future second-round pick to the Knicks.[14] Lee's contract under the deal paid him about $80 million over 6 years.[15]

In the 2010–11 season, Lee appeared in 73 games (all starts), averaging 16.5 points, 9.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.01 steals in 36.1 minutes per contest.

On February 7, 2012, Lee recorded his second triple-double, scoring 25 points and getting 11 rebounds, and 10 assists in a loss against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Over the course of the 2011–12 season, he averaged over 20 points per game, the second such season in his NBA career.

Lee (right) with Andrew Bogut in March 2013

On January 24, 2013, Lee was named to the 2013 NBA All-Star Game as a reserve representing the Western Conference. He was the Warriors' first All-Star since Latrell Sprewell in 1997. Lee recorded a career-high 22 rebounds against the Spurs, and recorded his third-ever triple-double against the Charlotte Bobcats with 23 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists. Lee finished the season with averages of 18.5 points and 11.2 rebounds per game, and led the league in double-doubles with 56. Also, he was named to the All-NBA Third Team.

Lee injured his hip during the fourth quarter of his first playoff game. An MRI later revealed a "complete tear of his right hip flexor". Lee finished the game with 10 points and 14 rebounds.[16] Despite the injury, which was expected to end his season, Lee returned for the sixth and final game of the series as the Warriors upset the Nuggets. However, the Warriors were defeated by the San Antonio Spurs in six games in the next round.[17]

On February 2, 2014, Lee ended his double-digit scoring streak at 123 games with 8 points in a 91–75 loss to the Charlotte Bobcats.[18]

Lee suffered a strained left hamstring in the final game of the preseason, which sidelined him for 24 out of the first 25 games of the season. Lee was replaced in the Warriors' starting lineup by Draymond Green, who continued to start even after Lee recovered. The highest-paid player on the Warriors roster at $15 million, Lee became a reserve for the first time since early in his career.[19][20] On January 27, 2015, he scored a season-high 24 points in a 113–111 overtime loss to the Chicago Bulls.[21] Lee won his first NBA championship with the Warriors after they defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2015 NBA Finals in six games.

Boston Celtics (2015–2016)[edit]

On July 27, 2015, Lee was traded to the Boston Celtics in exchange for Gerald Wallace and Chris Babb,[22] as Golden State was seeking to offload his salary given his limited role on the team.[23] He made his debut for the Celtics in the team's season-opener against the Philadelphia 76ers on October 28, recording 8 points and 5 rebounds as a starter in a 112–95 win.[24] Having entered the season out of shape, Lee started just three games for the team before moving to the bench and eventually out of the rotation entirely.[25] On February 19, 2016, he was waived by the Celtics.[26]

Dallas Mavericks (2016)[edit]

On February 22, 2016, Lee signed with the Dallas Mavericks.[27] He made his debut for the Mavericks two days later, recording four points and four rebounds off the bench in a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.[28] In his second game for the Mavericks on February 26, he recorded 14 points and 14 rebounds in 25 minutes off the bench in a 122–116 overtime win over the Denver Nuggets.[29] On March 25, Lee returned to Oracle Arena for the first time since being traded from the Warriors and got a standing ovation during a pre-game ceremony in which he received his 2015 championship ring.[30] Lee missed the Mavericks' first two playoff games against the Oklahoma City Thunder due to a right foot injury.[31]

San Antonio Spurs (2016–2017)[edit]

On August 2, 2016, Lee signed with the San Antonio Spurs.[32] He made his debut for the Spurs in their season opener on October 25, 2016, recording six points, six rebounds, and two assists in 11 minutes off the bench in a 129–100 win over his former team, the Golden State Warriors. On January 19, 2017, he grabbed a season-high 16 rebounds to go with 10 points in a 118–104 win over the Denver Nuggets. On March 1, 2017, he scored a season-high 18 points in a 100–99 win over the Indiana Pacers. A week later, on March 8, he tied his season high with another 18-point effort in a 114–104 win over the Sacramento Kings.[33] On June 29, 2017, Lee was reported to have declined his player option, entering the free-agent market.[34]

On November 19, 2017, Lee announced his retirement.[35]

Television appearances[edit]

In 2007 Lee appeared on the game show Family Feud, in an NBA Players vs Mothers week, to raise money for charity.[36] On April 26, 2009, he appeared on NBC's Celebrity Apprentice.[37] Lee made a cameo in an episode of the now-canceled series Lipstick Jungle, playing himself. He also made a cameo appearance in the 2009 movie When in Rome. He also appeared in a segment of the 2009 version of TV series The Electric Company.

Personal life[edit]

Lee is a Christian.[38] In 2009, Lee, along with several other NBA players, joined the Hoops for St. Jude charity program benefiting the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.[39]

Lee married Danish tennis player Caroline Wozniacki in June 2019.[40] In June 2021, Lee and Wozniacki announced the birth of their daughter Olivia Wozniacki-Lee.[41] Their son James was born in October 2022.[42]

NBA career statistics[edit]

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high
 †  Won an NBA championship

Regular season[edit]

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2005–06 New York 67 14 16.9 .596 — .577 4.5 .6 .4 .3 5.1
2006–07 New York 58 12 29.8 .600 — .815 10.4 1.8 .8 .4 10.7
2007–08 New York 81 29 29.1 .552 .000 .819 8.9 1.2 .7 .4 10.8
2008–09 New York 81 74 34.9 .549 .000 .755 11.7 2.1 1.0 .3 16.0
2009–10 New York 81 81 37.3 .545 .000 .812 11.7 3.6 1.0 .5 20.2
2010–11 Golden State 73 73 36.1 .507 .333 .787 9.8 3.2 1.0 .4 16.5
2011–12 Golden State 57 57 37.2 .503 .000 .782 9.6 2.8 .9 .4 20.1
2012–13 Golden State 79 79 36.8 .519 .000 .797 11.2 3.5 .8 .3 18.5
2013–14 Golden State 69 67 33.2 .523 .000 .780 9.3 2.1 .7 .4 18.2
2014–15† Golden State 49 4 18.4 .511 .000 .654 5.2 1.7 .6 .5 7.9
2015–16 Boston 30 4 15.7 .453 .000 .784 4.3 1.8 .4 .4 7.1
2015–16 Dallas 25 1 17.3 .636 — .738 7.0 1.2 .4 .6 8.5
2016–17 San Antonio 79 10 18.7 .590 — .708 5.6 1.6 .4 .5 7.3
Career 829 505 29.3 .535 .034 .772 8.8 2.2 .8 .4 13.5
All-Star 2 0 12.9 .714 .000 .000 2.0 .5 1.0 .0 5.0

Playoffs[edit]

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2013 Golden State 6 1 10.8 .394 — .667 4.7 .8 .5 .2 5.0
2014 Golden State 7 7 31.1 .532 — .789 9.1 2.4 .6 .0 13.9
2015† Golden State 13 0 8.2 .400 — .533 2.6 .6 .2 .2 3.1
2016 Dallas 2 0 16.3 .750 — — 3.0 .5 .0 .0 6.0
2017 San Antonio 15 4 16.3 .521 .000 .647 3.8 .7 .3 .3 5.6
Career 43 12 15.5 .490 .000 .667 4.4 1.0 .3 .2 5.6

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Moore, Tim. "David Lee". St Louis Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  2. ^ "David Lee retires from NBA to become startup investor". St. Louis Business Journal. November 29, 2017. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  3. ^ "Meet David Lee". AOLSportsBlog.com. December 28, 2006. Archived from the original on April 3, 2007. Retrieved December 28, 2006.
  4. ^ "David Lee Bio". GatorZone.com. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved September 16, 2011.
  5. ^ O'Shea, Michael (April 1, 2001). "Meet Parade's All-America boys basketball team". The Portsmouth Daily Times. Retrieved September 16, 2015.
  6. ^ "NBA Draft history: 2005 Draft". NBA.com. February 27, 2013. Retrieved February 28, 2016.
  7. ^ Robinson, Jon (January 3, 2006). "DAVID LEE INTERVIEW". IGN.com. Retrieved September 16, 2011.
  8. ^ "David Lee Stats, Video, Bio, Profile". NBA.com. Retrieved September 16, 2011.
  9. ^ "Duhon, Knicks run it up against Jackson-less Warriors". ESPN.com. November 30, 2008. Retrieved September 16, 2011.
  10. ^ "Hughes finishes off Knicks with backbreaking 3 in final minute". ESPN.com. December 10, 2008. Retrieved February 28, 2016.
  11. ^ Beck, Howard (February 11, 2010). "Lee, Replacing Iverson, Is Knicks' First All-Star Since 2001". The New York Times. Retrieved February 12, 2010.
  12. ^ "Lee triple-double not enough for Knicks; Warriors' Nelson within 1 of record". ESPN.com. April 3, 2010. Retrieved February 28, 2016.
  13. ^ "Free agents: 2010 and 2011". ESPN.com. June 1, 2011. Retrieved September 16, 2011.
  14. ^ "Warriors Acquire All-Star Forward/center David Lee From New York Knicks". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. July 9, 2010. Retrieved July 9, 2010.
  15. ^ "David Lee Contract, Salary Cap Details & Breakdowns". Spotrac.com. Archived from the original on July 6, 2015. Retrieved November 4, 2014.
  16. ^ Howard-Cooper, Scott (April 21, 2013). "David Lee done for the season". NBA.com. Retrieved April 21, 2013.
  17. ^ "Warriors' David Lee returns". ESPN. May 3, 2013. Retrieved May 3, 2013.
  18. ^ "David Lee 2013–14 Game Log". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved May 27, 2015.
  19. ^ Thompson II, Marcus (April 3, 2015). "Thompson: Golden State Warriors' David Lee has taken one for the team". San Jose Mercury News. Archived from the original on May 27, 2015. Retrieved May 27, 2015.
  20. ^ "Warriors' David Lee adjusts to new role coming off the bench". USA Today. Associated Press. March 17, 2015. Archived from the original on July 17, 2015. Retrieved May 27, 2015.
  21. ^ "Derrick Rose's OT shot lifts Bulls by Warriors; home streak ends at 19". ESPN. January 28, 2015. Retrieved January 28, 2015.
  22. ^ "Boston Celtics Acquire David Lee". NBA.com. July 27, 2015. Retrieved July 27, 2015.
  23. ^ Forsberg, Chris (July 7, 2015). "Breaking down the David Lee deal". ESPN. Retrieved July 27, 2015.
  24. ^ "Thomas leads Celtics to 112–95 season-opening win over 76ers". NBA.com. October 28, 2015. Archived from the original on December 29, 2015. Retrieved October 28, 2015.
  25. ^ King, Jay (November 26, 2016). "David Lee understands if Boston Celtics fans felt frustated [sic] after seeing him play so well for San Antonio Spurs". masslive.
  26. ^ "Boston Celtics Waive David Lee". NBA.com. February 19, 2016. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
  27. ^ "Mavericks sign free agent David Lee". mavs.com. February 22, 2016. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
  28. ^ "Durant, Westbrook lead Thunder over Mavs 116–103 for sweep". NBA.com. February 24, 2016. Archived from the original on February 27, 2016. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
  29. ^ "Mavericks rally to beat Nuggets 122–116 in overtime". NBA.com. February 26, 2016. Retrieved February 27, 2016.
  30. ^ "Ex-Warrior David Lee gets championship ring". NBA.com. March 26, 2016. Archived from the original on January 18, 2017. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
  31. ^ "Durant rallies with 34, Thunder top Mavs 131–102, lead 2–1". NBA.com. April 21, 2016. Archived from the original on April 22, 2016. Retrieved April 22, 2016.
  32. ^ "Spurs sign David Lee". NBA.com. August 2, 2016. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
  33. ^ "David Lee 2016–17 Game Log". Basketball-Reference.com. March 17, 2017.
  34. ^ "Guide to 2017 contract options, qualifying offers". NBA.com. June 30, 2017. Retrieved June 30, 2017.
  35. ^ "David Lee retires from the NBA after 12 seasons". NBA.com. November 19, 2017. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
  36. ^ "Lee Stars in Special Edition of Family Feud". NBA.com. November 13, 2007. Retrieved November 13, 2007.
  37. ^ "Celebrity Apprentice: NBA Right Guard Challenge!". RealityTVMagazine.SheKnows.com. April 26, 2009. Archived from the original on August 7, 2011. Retrieved September 16, 2011.
  38. ^ "Jeremy Lin and David Lee – Who Shared a New York City Apartment – Shrimp Fishing in Taiwan Following Basketball Camp". ISportsTimes.com. August 29, 2012. Retrieved August 29, 2012.
  39. ^ Berger, Ken (March 4, 2010). "St. Jude utilizes power of Love, NBA in fight against cancer". CBSsports.com. Archived from the original on September 2, 2013. Retrieved March 20, 2012.
  40. ^ Kimble, Lindsay (June 15, 2019). "Tennis Star Caroline Wozniacki Marries David Lee in Italy". People.com. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  41. ^ "Caroline Wozniacki announces birth of daughter Olivia". WTA. June 14, 2021. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
  42. ^ "CAROLINE WOZNIACKI AND HUSBAND DAVID LEE WELCOME SECOND CHILD, JAMES". Tennis.com. October 27, 2022. Retrieved October 28, 2022.

External links[edit]

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