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David Lee (basketball)
Encyclopedia
David Lee is an American professional basketball
player who is a power forward
and center
for the Golden State Warriors
of the National Basketball Association
(NBA). He played college basketball
for the University of Florida
and was selected by the New York Knicks
in the first round of the 2005 NBA Draft
. In 2010, Lee was signed and traded
to the Warriors.
. He was a highly touted player at Chaminade College Preparatory School
in Creve Coeur, Missouri
, a suburb of St. Louis. Naturally left-handed, Lee became essentially ambidextrous when he broke his left arm and learned to play right-handed. Lee was a McDonald's All American and won the 2001 Slam Dunk competition. Lee was also named a first-team high school All-American by Parade
magazine.
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-SEC freshman team by the conference's coaches. During his sophomore season in 2002–03, he averaged double figures in points and seven rebounds a game. Lee was named a second-team All-SEC selection in his junior in 2003–04, while averaging thirteen points and seven rebounds per game.
, following Channing Frye
. Lee signed with the team on July 1, 2005.
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. Those points were Lee's career high until he scored 24 points against the Sacramento Kings on November 16, 2007. He tied his career high of 15 rebounds against the Washington Wizards
on November 15, 2006, and has since set a new career high by grabbing 21 rebounds on November 29, 2008 against the Golden State Warriors
. Lee averaged 5.2 points (59.6%) and 4.5 rebounds per game in his rookie season while averaging 16 minutes of playing time in 67 games.
, 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 on a tip-in without breaking the league's so-called Trent Tucker Rule
, whereby a player cannot legitimately make a 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 61.05% shooting (first in the league), an 80.0% 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 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.
had 34 points and 25 rebounds on Feb. 23, 1997.
On December 9, in a match-up against the Chicago Bulls, Lee became only the 11th Knick ever to score 10 consecutive double-doubles.
to represent 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
. 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 is the first player since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
in 1976 to record at least 35 points, 20 rebounds and 10 assists in a game. At the end of the season, Lee became an unrestricted free agent.
to the Golden State Warriors
in a deal that involved Anthony Randolph
, Kelenna Azubuike
, Ronny Turiaf
and a future second-round pick traded to the Knicks. The deal is worth $80 million for over 6 years.
, in an NBA Players vs Mothers week, to raise money for charity. On April 26, 2009, he appeared on NBC's Celebrity Apprentice. Lee made a cameo in an episode of the now-canceled series Lipstick Jungle, playing himself. In the 2009 movie When in Rome, David Lee made a cameo appearance. He also appeared in a segment of the 2009 version of The Electric Company
.
| style="text-align:left;"| 2005–06
| style="text-align:left;"| New York
| 67 || 14 || 16.9 || .598 || .000 || .577 || 4.5 || 0.6 || 0.4 || 0.3 || 5.1
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2006–07
| style="text-align:left;"| New York
| 58 || 12 || 29.8 || .600 || .000 || .815 || 10.4 || 1.8 || .8 || .4 || 10.7
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2007–08
| style="text-align:left;"| New York
| 81 || 29 || 29.1 || .552 || .000 || .819 || 8.9 || 1.2 || .7 || .4 || 10.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2008–09
| style="text-align:left;"| New York
| 81 || 74 || 34.9 || .549 || .000 || .755 || 11.7 || 2.1 || 1.0 || .3 || 16.0
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2009–10
| style="text-align:left;"| New York
| 81 || 81 || 37.3 || .545 || .000 || .812 || 11.7 || 3.6 || 1.0 || .5 || 20.2
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2010–11
| style="text-align:left;"| Golden State
| 73 || 73 || 36.1 || .507 || .333 || .787 || 9.8 || 3.2 || 1.0 || .4 || 16.5
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| Career
| style="text-align:left;"|
| 441 || 283 || 31.0 || .546 || .063 || .776 || 9.6 || 2.1 || .8 || .4 || 13.6
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| All-Star
| style="text-align:left;"|
| 1 || 0 || 12.4 || .666 || .000 || .000 || 2.0 || 1.0 || .0 || .0 || 4.0
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player who is a power forward
Power forward (basketball)
Power forward is a position in the sport of basketball. The position is referred to in playbook terms as the four position and is commonly abbreviated "PF". It has also been referred to as the "post" position. Power forwards play a role similar to that of center in what is called the "post" or "low...
and center
Center (basketball)
The center, colloquially known as the five or the post, is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. The center is normally the tallest player on the team, and often has a great deal of strength and body mass as well...
for the Golden State Warriors
Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in Oakland, California. They are part of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
of the National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
(NBA). He played college basketball
College basketball
College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
for the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
and was selected by the New York Knicks
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
in the first round of the 2005 NBA Draft
2005 NBA Draft
The 2005 NBA Draft took place on June 28, 2005 in the Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City. In this draft, NBA teams took turns selecting amateur college basketball players and other first-time eligible players, such as players from high schools and non-North American leagues...
. In 2010, Lee was signed and traded
Sign and trade
In U.S. basketball, a sign-and-trade agreement is a type of contract allowed in the NBA collective bargaining agreement, wherein one team signs an unrestricted free agent to a contract and trades him to another team of the players choosing...
to the Warriors.
Early years
Lee was born in St. Louis, MissouriSt. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
. He was a highly touted player at Chaminade College Preparatory School
Chaminade College Preparatory School (Missouri)
Founded in 1910, Chaminade College Preparatory School is an independent Catholic Marianist school for boys in grades six through twelve. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Louis. The school is located in west St. Louis County, Missouri. Chaminade offers 7-day, 5-day, and...
in Creve Coeur, Missouri
Creve Coeur, Missouri
Creve Coeur, derived from French for "heartbreak" , is a second-ring suburb of St. Louis, located in west St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. The city derives its name from Creve Coeur Lake, which is shaped like a broken heart. The population was 17,833 at the 2010 census...
, a suburb of St. Louis. Naturally left-handed, Lee became essentially ambidextrous when he broke his left arm and learned to play right-handed. Lee was a McDonald's All American and won the 2001 Slam Dunk competition. Lee was also named a first-team high school All-American by Parade
Parade (magazine)
Parade is an American nationwide Sunday newspaper magazine, distributed in more than 500 newspapers in the United States. It was founded in 1941 and is owned by Advance Publications. The most widely read magazine in the U.S., Parade has a circulation of 32.2 million and a readership of nearly 70...
magazine.
College career
Lee accepted an athletic scholarshipAthletic scholarship
An athletic scholarship is a form of scholarship to attend a college or university awarded to an individual based predominantly on his or her ability to play in a sport...
to attend the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
in Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth...
, where he played for coach Billy Donovan
Billy Donovan
William John "Billy" Donovan, Jr. is an American college basketball coach and a former college and professional basketball player. Donovan is the current head coach of the Florida Gators men's basketball team of the University of Florida...
's Florida Gators basketball
Florida Gators men's basketball
The Florida Gators men's basketball team represents the University of Florida in the sport of basketball. The Gators compete in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I and the Southeastern Conference...
team from 2001 to 2005. As a freshman in 2002, he was named to the All-SEC freshman team by the conference's coaches. During his sophomore season in 2002–03, he averaged double figures in points and seven rebounds a game. Lee was named a second-team All-SEC selection in his junior in 2003–04, while averaging thirteen points and seven rebounds per game.
2005–06
Lee was selected by the Knicks with the team's second first-round pick (30th overall) in the 2005 NBA Draft2005 NBA Draft
The 2005 NBA Draft took place on June 28, 2005 in the Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City. In this draft, NBA teams took turns selecting amateur college basketball players and other first-time eligible players, such as players from high schools and non-North American leagues...
, following Channing Frye
Channing Frye
Channing Thomas Frye is an American professional basketball player and currently plays for the Phoenix Suns. His positions are center and power forward. He attended the University of Arizona...
. Lee signed with the team on July 1, 2005.
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
Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns are a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association and the only team in their division not to be based in California. Their home arena since 1992 has been the US...
in triple overtime on January 2, 2006. Those points were Lee's career high until he scored 24 points against the Sacramento Kings on November 16, 2007. He tied his career high of 15 rebounds against the Washington Wizards
Washington Wizards
The Washington Wizards are a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., previously known as Washington Bullets. They play in the National Basketball Association .-Early years:...
on November 15, 2006, and has since set a new career high by grabbing 21 rebounds on November 29, 2008 against the Golden State Warriors
Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in Oakland, California. They are part of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
. Lee averaged 5.2 points (59.6%) and 4.5 rebounds per game in his rookie season while averaging 16 minutes of playing time in 67 games.
2006–07
With an injury to Channing FryeChanning Frye
Channing Thomas Frye is an American professional basketball player and currently plays for the Phoenix Suns. His positions are center and power forward. He attended the University of Arizona...
, Lee started his first game of the season against the Chicago Bulls
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois, playing in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1966. They play their home games at the United Center...
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
Charlotte Bobcats
The Charlotte Bobcats is a professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They play in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association. The Bobcats were established in 2004 as an expansion team, two seasons after Charlotte's previous NBA...
with 0.1 seconds left, Lee scored the winning basket on a tip-in without breaking the league's so-called Trent Tucker Rule
Trent Tucker Rule
The Trent Tucker Rule is a basketball rule that disallows any regular shot to be taken on the court if the ball is put into play with less than three-tenths of a second left on the game clock...
, whereby a player cannot legitimately make a field goal with less than three tenths of a second remaining on the clock. At the All-Star break
2007 NBA All-Star Game
The 2007 NBA All-Star Game was played on Sunday, February 18, 2007 at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas's Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. It was the 56th annual All-Star Game. It was the first time the All-Star Game was played in a city without an NBA franchise and...
, Lee had averaged 11.1 points on 61.05% shooting (first in the league), an 80.0% 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
Rookie Challenge
The Rookie Challenge is an exhibition basketball game held by the National Basketball Association on the Friday before the annual All-Star Game as part of the All-Star Weekend....
, 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
Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks are a professional basketball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. They are part of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1968 as an expansion team, and currently plays at the Bradley Center....
, Lee came down on Andrew Bogut
Andrew Bogut
Andrew Michael Bogut is an Australian professional basketball player. He plays for the Milwaukee Bucks of the United States' National Basketball Association....
'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.
2007–08
In the 2007–08 season, Lee continued to develop into a major contributor off the bench for the Knicks, and set career highs in most major categories, including minutes, points per game, and rebounds per game.2008–09
David Lee had career highs in points, 37, and in rebounds, 21. He also became the first Knicks player with 30 points and 20 rebounds in a game since Patrick EwingPatrick Ewing
Patrick Aloysius Ewing Sr. is a Jamaican-American retired Hall of Fame basketball player and current assistant coach for the National Basketball Association's Orlando Magic. He played most of his career with the NBA's New York Knicks as their starting center and played briefly with the Seattle...
had 34 points and 25 rebounds on Feb. 23, 1997.
On December 9, in a match-up against the Chicago Bulls, Lee became only the 11th Knick ever to score 10 consecutive double-doubles.
2009–10
On February 11, Lee was chosen to replace Allen IversonAllen Iverson
Allen Ezail Iverson is an American professional basketball point guard and shooting guard. He was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers with the number one pick in the 1996 NBA Draft. He was named the NBA Rookie of the Year in the 1996–97 season...
to represent the East team
Eastern Conference (NBA)
The Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association is made up of fifteen teams, organized in three divisions of five teams each.The three division winners and the non-division winner with the best record are seeded 1 through 4 for the playoffs in order of their records, with all...
at the 2010 NBA All-Star Game
2010 NBA All-Star Game
The 2010 NBA All-Star Game was an exhibition basketball game between players selected from the National Basketball Association 's Western Conference and the Eastern Conference that was played on February 14, 2010 at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, United States. This game was the 59th edition...
. He became the first Knick to make the All-Star team since Allan Houston
Allan Houston
Allan Wade Houston is a retired American professional basketball player for the NBA, and currently the Assistant General Manager for the New York Knicks. He was one of the top 3-point shooters in the NBA until a knee injury forced him to retire...
and Latrell Sprewell
Latrell Sprewell
Latrell Fontaine Sprewell is a former American professional basketball player. During his time as a professional, Sprewell was named to the NBA All-Star game during four seasons, and played for the Golden State Warriors, the New York Knicks, and the Minnesota Timberwolves...
appeared in the 2001 NBA All-Star Game
2001 NBA All-Star Game
The 2001 NBA All-Star Game was a basketball matchup between the Eastern and Western Conference All-Stars of the NBA. It was held in front of a sellout crowd at the MCI Center in Washington, D.C. This was the 50th edition of the annual event....
. 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 is the first player since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is a retired American professional basketball player. He is the NBA's all-time leading scorer, with 38,387 points. During his career with the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers from 1969 to 1989, Abdul-Jabbar won six NBA championships and a record six regular season...
in 1976 to record at least 35 points, 20 rebounds and 10 assists in a game. At the end of the season, Lee became an unrestricted free agent.
Golden State Warriors (2010–present)
Lee became an unrestricted free agent in the 2010 off-season. On July 9, he was signed and tradedSign and trade
In U.S. basketball, a sign-and-trade agreement is a type of contract allowed in the NBA collective bargaining agreement, wherein one team signs an unrestricted free agent to a contract and trades him to another team of the players choosing...
to the Golden State Warriors
Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in Oakland, California. They are part of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
in a deal that involved Anthony Randolph
Anthony Randolph
Anthony Erwin Randolph, Jr. is an American professional basketball player who plays power forward for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association . Born in Germany to two parents who served in the military there, Randolph's family eventually relocated to the United States,...
, Kelenna Azubuike
Kelenna Azubuike
Kelenna David Azubuike is a professional basketball player. Born in London, England and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Azubuike became a standout player during his play at Victory Christian High School, and was eventually recruited to play for the Wildcats of the University of Kentucky...
, Ronny Turiaf
Ronny Turiaf
Ronny Turiaf is a French professional basketball player for the New York Knicks of the NBA. Turiaf has been a member of the French national basketball team....
and a future second-round pick traded to the Knicks. The deal is worth $80 million for over 6 years.
Awards and honors
- NBA All-Star rookie game MVP – 2007
- NBA All-Star selection – 20102010 NBA All-Star GameThe 2010 NBA All-Star Game was an exhibition basketball game between players selected from the National Basketball Association 's Western Conference and the Eastern Conference that was played on February 14, 2010 at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, United States. This game was the 59th edition...
Television appearances
In 2007 Lee appeared on the game show Family FeudFamily Feud
Family Feud is an American television game show created by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman. Two families compete against each other in a contest to name the most popular responses to a survey question posed to 100 people...
, in an NBA Players vs Mothers week, to raise money for charity. On April 26, 2009, he appeared on NBC's Celebrity Apprentice. Lee made a cameo in an episode of the now-canceled series Lipstick Jungle, playing himself. In the 2009 movie When in Rome, David Lee made a cameo appearance. He also appeared in a segment of the 2009 version of The Electric Company
The Electric Company (2009 TV series)
The Electric Company is an American children's educational series for young children aged 4–8 on PBS, derived from the 1971 series. The series premiered as a four-episode mini-marathon on PBS on January 19, 2009, then became a weekly series with an episode shown each Friday. On September 7, 2009,...
.
Regular season
|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2005–06
| style="text-align:left;"| New York
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
| 67 || 14 || 16.9 || .598 || .000 || .577 || 4.5 || 0.6 || 0.4 || 0.3 || 5.1
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2006–07
| style="text-align:left;"| New York
| 58 || 12 || 29.8 || .600 || .000 || .815 || 10.4 || 1.8 || .8 || .4 || 10.7
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2007–08
| style="text-align:left;"| New York
| 81 || 29 || 29.1 || .552 || .000 || .819 || 8.9 || 1.2 || .7 || .4 || 10.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2008–09
2008–09 NBA season
The 2008–09 NBA season was the 63rd season of the National Basketball Association . The 1,230-game regular season began on Tuesday, October 28, 2008, and ended on Wednesday, April 15, 2009...
| style="text-align:left;"| New York
| 81 || 74 || 34.9 || .549 || .000 || .755 || 11.7 || 2.1 || 1.0 || .3 || 16.0
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2009–10
2009–10 NBA season
The 2009–10 NBA season was the 64th season of the National Basketball Association . The 1,230-game regular season began on Tuesday, October 27, 2009, and ended on Wednesday, April 14, 2010....
| style="text-align:left;"| New York
| 81 || 81 || 37.3 || .545 || .000 || .812 || 11.7 || 3.6 || 1.0 || .5 || 20.2
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2010–11
| style="text-align:left;"| Golden State
Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in Oakland, California. They are part of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
| 73 || 73 || 36.1 || .507 || .333 || .787 || 9.8 || 3.2 || 1.0 || .4 || 16.5
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| Career
| style="text-align:left;"|
| 441 || 283 || 31.0 || .546 || .063 || .776 || 9.6 || 2.1 || .8 || .4 || 13.6
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| All-Star
| style="text-align:left;"|
| 1 || 0 || 12.4 || .666 || .000 || .000 || 2.0 || 1.0 || .0 || .0 || 4.0
See also
- Florida GatorsFlorida GatorsThe Florida Gators are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Florida located in Gainesville, Florida. The "Lady Gators" is an alternative nickname sometimes used by the Gators women's teams...
- List of Florida Gators basketball players
- List of University of Florida alumni
External links
- David Lee at basketball-reference.com