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Damion Lee

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For the Canadian film person, see Damian Lee.

Damion Lee
Lee with the Phoenix Suns in 2022
No. 10 – Phoenix Suns
PositionShooting guard / small forward
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (1992-10-21) October 21, 1992 (age 32)
Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High school
College
NBA draft2016: undrafted
Playing career2016–present
Career history
2016–2017Maine Red Claws
2017–2018Santa Cruz Warriors
2018Atlanta Hawks
2018–2020→Santa Cruz Warriors
2018–2022Golden State Warriors
2022–presentPhoenix Suns
Career highlights and awards
  • NBA champion (2022)
  • Second-team All-ACC (2016)
  • First-team All-CAA (2015)
  • Second-team All-CAA (2013)
  • CAA All-Defensive Team (2015)
  • CAA Rookie of the Year (2012)
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Damion Lee (born October 21, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for four years at Drexel University and transferred to Louisville for his final year of eligibility.[1] After going undrafted in 2016, Lee played in the G League before signing with the Atlanta Hawks in March 2018. He then signed a two-way contract with the Golden State Warriors the following season, winning an NBA championship with the team in 2022.

High school career

[edit]

Lee graduated from Calvert Hall College High School in Towson, Maryland,[2] where in his final season he was a Second-Team Baltimore Sun All-Metro and a First-Team All-Baltimore Catholic League selection. Lee attended prep school at St. Thomas More in Oakdale, Connecticut, where he averaged 17 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists per game during the 2010–11 season. Lee was a First Team All-New England Preparatory School Athletic Council selection, leading his team to a 30–7 record and the National Prep School Championship.

College career

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Drexel Dragons

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In his freshman season as a member of the 2011–12 Drexel Dragons men's basketball team, Lee started at point guard. During that season, he averaged 12 points and 4.4 rebounds.[3] After the impressive start to his college career, he was named the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Rookie of the Year. He was also named to the CAA All-Tournament team after averaging more than 15 points in Drexel's three tournament games. In the CAA championship game, the Dragons (25–5) lost to Virginia Commonwealth University, 59–56. VCU was a Final Four team the previous year, and the majority of projections had both teams making the NCAA tournament. However, a disappointing Selection Sunday saw the Dragons not invited to the NCAA Tournament and instead accepting an automatic bid to the 2012 National Invitation Tournament as the CAA regular season champion and #3 seed. The Dragons defeated the University of Central Florida and Northern Iowa, before falling to the University of Massachusetts in the regional final.

The following season, Lee was named to the Second-Team All-CAA after leading Drexel in scoring and finishing third in the CAA averaging 17.1 points per game. He was also second in the CAA in free throw percentage (82.9%), and fourth in three-pointers per game (2.3). In a game against Old Dominion, Lee recorded a career-high 34 points.

In his third season at Drexel, after being selected to the Preseason CAA All-Conference First Team, Lee suffered a torn ACL in a game against Arizona. This caused him to sit out the entire season and redshirt his junior year.

Before his redshirt junior season at Drexel, Lee was named to the Preseason CAA All-Conference First Team for the second year in a row. He also was named to the Charleston Classic All-Tournament team. On February 21, 2015, during a game against Northeastern, Lee suffered a fractured right hand which prematurely ended his season.[4] Lee averaged 21.4 points per game during the season, ranking fourth in the nation and first in the CAA.[5] His free throw percentage of 88.7% ranked 14th in the nation and second in the CAA. He also averaged 6.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game in 27 games. Furthermore, Lee also led the team in steals per game (1.5), field goal percentage (43.8%), and three-point percentage (38.5%%).[6] At the conclusion of the regular season, Lee was one vote shy of winning CAA Player of the Year, losing to Senior William and Mary guard Marcus Thornton.[7] However, Lee did win awards in CAA All-Conference First Team, CAA All-Defensive Team, and CAA All-Academic Team.[8]

On March 30, 2015, Lee announced that he would be transferring out of Drexel University for his fifth and final collegiate season.[9] He was considered to be the top transfer in college basketball by ESPN.[8]

Louisville Cardinals

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On April 23, 2015, Lee announced he would play his final collegiate season at Louisville under head coach Rick Pitino.[10] Other schools Lee was considering included Arizona, Gonzaga, Marquette, and Maryland. Lee said after the move, "The U of L community itself was unreal. I don't think there's any other city or college basketball town like it."[8] By mid-season in December 2015, he was Louisville's top point scorer.[11] He was named to the 35-man midseason watchlist for the Naismith Trophy on February 11, 2016.[12] On Senior Night, Lee passed the 2,000-point mark.[13] With 10 games remaining in the season, Louisville ranked as the 13th best team in the country announced a self-imposed postseason ban for the 2015–16 season amid an ongoing NCAA investigation involving recruits between 2010 and 2014. They finished the regular season as the #16 ranked team with a 23–8 record, and did not play in the ACC Tournament or the NCAA Tournament because of the ban.

Professional career

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Maine Red Claws (2016–2017)

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After going undrafted in the 2016 NBA draft, Lee joined the Miami Heat for the 2016 NBA Summer League. On September 26, 2016, he signed with the Boston Celtics.[14] He was later waived by the Celtics on October 20 after appearing in two preseason games.[15] On October 31, he was acquired by the Maine Red Claws of the NBA Development League as an affiliate player of the Celtics.[16] On January 10, 2017, he was waived by the Red Claws after suffering a season-ending injury.[17] In 16 games, he averaged 17.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.1 steals in 34 minutes.[18]

Santa Cruz Warriors (2017–2018)

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On August 24, 2017, Lee was traded to the Santa Cruz Warriors of the NBA G League.[19]

Atlanta Hawks (2018)

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On March 13, 2018, Lee signed a 10-day contract with the Atlanta Hawks.[20][21] On March 23, the Atlanta Hawks signed Lee to a second 10-day contract.[22] On April 2, the Atlanta Hawks signed Lee for the remainder of the season.[23]

Golden State Warriors (2018–2022)

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On July 14, 2018, Lee signed a two-way contract with the Golden State Warriors, which would lead him to return to the Santa Cruz Warriors.[24]

On July 31, 2019, the Golden State Warriors re-signed with Lee on another two-way contract.[25] On October 28, Lee recorded a double-double with a career-high 23 points, 11 rebounds and two assists in a 134–123 road victory over the New Orleans Pelicans.[26] On December 25, Lee got his second double-double of the season with 22 points and a career-high 15 rebounds in a 116–104 win against the Houston Rockets.[27] Lee picked up ample playing time due to a litany of injuries that befell the Warriors' roster (including a hand fracture in November that cost Lee 14 games) and burned through the 45-day allotment with the NBA team on his two-way contract.[28] On January 15, 2020, the Golden State Warriors signed Lee to a multi-year contract.[29]

On December 27, 2020, Lee put up 12 points, alongside a game-winning three-pointer, in a 129–128 win over the Chicago Bulls.[30]

On June 16, 2022, Lee won the 2022 NBA Finals with the Warriors.[31]

Phoenix Suns (2022–present)

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On July 7, 2022, Lee signed with the Phoenix Suns.[32] On October 19, 2022, Lee made his Suns debut, putting up 11 points, two rebounds, two assists, and an off-balance, game-winning baseline jumper in a 107–105 win over the Dallas Mavericks.[33] On January 13, 2023, Lee scored a career-high 31 points off the bench in a close 121–116 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.[34] During training camp the following season, Lee injured his right meniscus resulting in surgery. The meniscus tear would later result in him missing the rest of that season in the process. Lee would later reveal that the meniscus tear turned out to be a rare double root tear that required an extended recovery period for him, which caused him to suffer from depression to the point of needing to seek therapy at the time.[35][36]

On July 6, 2024, Lee re-signed with the Suns.[37]

National team career

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On February 22, 2018, Lee was added to the United States national team for the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup qualification.[38]

Career statistics

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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

NBA

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Regular season

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2017–18 Atlanta 15 11 26.9 .408 .250 .759 4.7 1.9 1.3 .1 10.7
2018–19 Golden State 32 0 11.7 .441 .397 .864 2.0 .4 .4 .0 4.9
2019–20 Golden State 49 36 29.0 .417 .356 .873 4.9 2.7 1.0 .1 12.7
2020–21 Golden State 57 1 18.9 .467 .397 .909 3.2 1.3 .7 .1 6.5
2021–22† Golden State 63 5 19.9 .441 .337 .880 3.2 1.0 .6 .1 7.4
2022–23 Phoenix 74 5 20.4 .442 .445 .904 3.0 1.3 .4 .1 8.2
Career 290 58 20.8 .436 .379 .878 3.4 1.4 .7 .1 8.2

Playoffs

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2022† Golden State 16 0 7.8 .382 .250 .667 1.6 .4 .1 .0 2.0
2023 Phoenix 8 0 11.1 .300 .200 1.000 1.4 .6 .3 .0 2.1
Career 24 0 8.9 .352 .226 .800 1.5 .5 .1 .0 2.0

College

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2011–12 Drexel 36 35 28.9 .454 .375 .773 4.4 1.7 .8 .3 12.0
2012–13 Drexel 27 24 33.0 .425 .360 .829 5.1 1.8 .8 .1 17.1
2013–14 Drexel 5 5 26.8 .370 .273 .864 4.2 2.2 .6 .2 13.0
2014–15 Drexel 27 27 38.1 .438 .385 .887 6.1 2.3 1.5 .3 21.4
2015–16 Louisville 30 30 33.6 .428 .341 .843 3.9 2.0 1.5 .0 15.9
Career 125 121 32.8 .433 .362 .843 4.8 2.0 1.1 .2 16.1

Personal life

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Lee earned a degree in general humanities and social science at Drexel and majored in special education, with a concentration in assistive technology at Louisville.[39]

Lee is married to Sydel Curry-Lee, who is the daughter of Dell Curry and the younger sister of his former teammate Stephen Curry as well as Seth Curry. The couple's wedding was held on September 1, 2018.[40] They have a son, Daxon Wardell-Xavier Lee, born on November 26, 2021.[41]

On March 21, 2023, Lee and his wife Sydel announced they were expecting a baby girl. Their daughter, Daryn Alicia Lee, was born on August 23, 2023.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Geary, Molly (March 30, 2015). "Drexel guard Damion Lee says he will graduate, transfer". SI.com. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
  2. ^ "Drexel bio". DrexelDragons.com. Drexel Athletics. Retrieved January 21, 2015.
  3. ^ Medcalf, Myron (February 22, 2012). "Get to Know: Drexel's Damion Lee". ESPN.com. ESPN. Retrieved January 23, 2015.
  4. ^ "Damion Lee to Miss Rest of Season Due to Injury". DrexelDragons.com. February 23, 2015. Retrieved February 23, 2015.
  5. ^ "NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Player Scoring Per Game Statistics - 2014-15". ESPN. Archived from the original on November 20, 2014. Retrieved April 10, 2015.
  6. ^ "Drexel Dragons Stats - 2014-15". ESPN. Retrieved April 10, 2015.
  7. ^ "2014-15 All-CAA Men's Basketball Release" (PDF). CAASports.com. March 5, 2016. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
  8. ^ a b c Greer, Jeff (April 23, 2015). "Drexel transfer Damion Lee picks U of L". Louisville Courier-Journal. Retrieved July 26, 2015.
  9. ^ Borzello, Jeff (March 30, 2015). "Damion Lee eyes other schools". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 31, 2015.
  10. ^ Parrish, Gary (April 23, 2015). "Louisville lands Damion Lee". CBSSports. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
  11. ^ Sullivan, Tim (December 27, 2015). "Lee steps up but misfires for U of L". Louisville Courier-Journal. Archived from the original on May 27, 2024. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
  12. ^ Payne, Terrence (February 11, 2016). "Naismith Trophy midseason list announced". Fox Sports. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
  13. ^ Graves, Gary B. (March 1, 2016). "No. 11 Louisville Holds Off Georgia Tech 56-53 on Senior Night". gocards.com. Retrieved March 2, 2016.
  14. ^ "Celtics Finalize Training Camp Roster". NBA.com. September 26, 2016. Retrieved September 26, 2016.
  15. ^ "The Celtics have waived Marcus Georges-Hunt..." Twitter. October 20, 2016. Retrieved October 20, 2016.
  16. ^ "2016 Training Camp Roster Announced". NBA.com. October 31, 2016. Archived from the original on November 4, 2016. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
  17. ^ "NBA D-League Transactions". NBA.com. Archived from the original on January 14, 2017. Retrieved January 13, 2017.
  18. ^ "Damion Lee D-League Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 13, 2017.
  19. ^ "Santa Cruz Warriors get Damion Lee in a three-team trade". Santa Cruz Sentinel. August 24, 2017. Retrieved September 27, 2017.
  20. ^ "Hawks Sign Damion Lee To 10-Day Contract". NBA.com. Atlanta: National Basketball Association. March 13, 2018. Archived from the original (Web) on March 13, 2018. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
  21. ^ "Hawks' Damion Lee: Signs 10-day contract with Atlanta". CBS Sports. Rotowire. March 12, 2018. Archived from the original (Web) on March 13, 2018. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
  22. ^ "Hawks Sign Damion Lee To Second 10-Day Contract". NBA.com. Atlanta: Atlanta Hawks. March 23, 2018. Archived from the original (Web) on March 24, 2018. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
  23. ^ "Hawks Sign Damion Lee for Remainder of Season". NBA.com. Atlanta: National Basketball Association. April 2, 2018. Archived from the original (Web) on April 3, 2018. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
  24. ^ "Warriors Sign Free Agent Guard Damion Lee To Two-Way Contract". NBA.com. July 14, 2018. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  25. ^ "Warriors Sign Guards Damion Lee & Ky Bowman to Two-Way Contracts". NBA.com. July 31, 2019. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
  26. ^ "Curry leads Warriors to first win, 134-123 over Pelicans". ESPN.com. October 28, 2019. Retrieved October 28, 2019.
  27. ^ "Damion Lee leads Warriors past Rockets for third straight win". ESPN.com. December 25, 2019. Retrieved January 8, 2020.
  28. ^ Murray, Patrick (January 7, 2020). "The Golden State Warriors Waive Marquese Chriss And Add Damion Lee". Forbes. Retrieved January 8, 2020.
  29. ^ "Warriors Sign Damion Lee to Multi-Year Contract". NBA.com. January 15, 2020. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  30. ^ "Lee's late 3 lifts Warriors over winless Bulls 129-128". ESPN.com. December 27, 2020. Archived from the original on December 28, 2020. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
  31. ^ "NBA Finals 2022: Complete news, schedules, stats for Golden State Warriors vs. Boston Celtics". ESPN. June 17, 2022.
  32. ^ "Suns Sign Damion Lee". NBA.com. July 7, 2022. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  33. ^ Songco, Paolo (October 19, 2022). "Suns star Devin Booker tips hat to Warriors after Damion Lee's epic game-winner vs. Mavs". ClutchPoints.com. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
  34. ^ "Suns vs Timberwolves, January 13, 2023".
  35. ^ https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/2024/10/2/24258902/5-takeaways-from-phoenix-suns-media-day
  36. ^ https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/2024/10/7/24264072/it-sure-was-nice-seeing-damion-lee-on-the-court-phoenix-suns
  37. ^ "Suns Re-Sign Damion Lee". NBA.com. July 6, 2024. Retrieved July 6, 2024.
  38. ^ Seimas, Jim (February 23, 2018). "Second-year G League guard Damion Lee earns his stripes with Team USA call-up". Monterey Herals. Archived from the original on March 1, 2018. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
  39. ^ "Louisville bio". gocards.com. Louisville Athletics. Retrieved October 22, 2016.
  40. ^ Oliver, Brittney (September 5, 2018). "Steph Curry's Little Sister Sydel Curry Is Married!". Essence. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
  41. ^ "SYDEL CURRY AND HUSBAND DAMION LEE WELCOME BABY BOY". BCK Online. November 30, 2021. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
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