Courtney Lee (born October 3, 1985) is an American former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player. He played

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

Western Kentucky University Western Kentucky University is a public university in Bowling Green, Kentucky. It was founded by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1906, though its roots reach back a quarter-century earlier. It operates regional campuses in Glasgow, Elizabethtow ...

. Lee was drafted by the Orlando Magic with the 22nd overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft and was traded in June 2009 to the

New Jersey Nets New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...

. In August 2010, he was traded to the Houston Rockets. In July 2012, Lee was dealt to the Boston Celtics. He was traded to the

Memphis Grizzlies The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference ...

in January 2014 before being dealt to the Charlotte Hornets in February 2016. In July, Lee signed with the New York Knicks, where he spent three seasons before being traded to the Dallas Mavericks in January 2019.

Early life

Lee was born in Indianapolis,

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

High school career

Lee attended

Pike High School Pike High School is a public high school on the northwest side of Indianapolis, Indiana. Athletics Conference History Varsity Sports * Baseball (boys) * Basketball (girls and boys) * Cross country (girls and boys) * Football (boys) * Golf ( ...

in Indianapolis and played on their Indiana 4A state championship winning team in 2003. He starred for the Indy Hornet's AAU team, winning several state championships and annually placing high at the AAU nationals. Considered a three-star recruit by

Rivals.com Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting in the United States. The network was started in 1998 and employs more than 300 personnel. History Rivals.com was founded in 1998 by Jim Heckma ...

, Lee was listed as the No. 34 shooting guard in the nation in 2004.

College career

In 2004, Lee was recruited by former

Western Kentucky Western Kentucky is the western portion of the U.S. state of Kentucky. It generally includes part or all of several more widely recognized regions of the state. ;Always included * The Jackson Purchase, the state's westernmost generally recogniz ...

assistant coach William Small to play for the Hilltoppers. In his first season, Lee set a WKU record for freshman scoring with 461 points in 31 games. He was named First Team All-Sun Belt Conference for three consecutive seasons (2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08). As a senior at WKU, Lee was named Sun Belt Player of the Year. He also helped lead the Hilltoppers to a Sweet 16 appearance in the 2008 NCAA Tournament while being ranked 28th nationally in scoring with 20.4 points per game. On January 27, 2008, Lee recorded a career high 33 points in a 77–68 win over

Arkansas State Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...

. Lee finished his collegiate career tied with Jim McDaniels for all-time leading scorer at WKU, with 2,238 points. During his four-year career at WKU, he started 127 games, played an overall 3,957 minutes, made 82% of free throws, made 245 three-point shots, had 242 steals, 281 assists and 78 blocked shots. On January 10, 2015, it was announced that Lee's jersey would be retired by the Hilltoppers. Lee's tattoo on his arm reads "R.I.P. Danny Rumph" dedicated to his WKU teammate who died in May 2005 from an enlarged heart after hitting a game winning shot in a pick-up game in his hometown, Philadelphia.

Professional career

Orlando Magic (2008–2009)

Lee was drafted 22nd overall by the Orlando Magic in the 2008 NBA draft. On February 4, 2009, Lee posted season-high numbers against the

Los Angeles Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division in the league's Western Conference. The Clipper ...

. He finished the night with 21 points, including 9-of-10 field goals while making three 3-pointers. Then on March 23, 2009 in a game against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, Lee set a then-career high with 22 points. He made two critical free throws late in the fourth quarter to secure a comeback win for the Magic. Lee finished 6–8 from the field, 2–3 from behind the three-point line, and 8–8 from the free throw line. During the Magic's first round NBA playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers, Lee scored 18 points in game 1 and a team-high 24 points in game 2, helping the team tie the series at 1–1. On April 28, 2009 Lee was hit in the face by

Dwight Howard Dwight David Howard II (born December 8, 1985) is an American professional basketball player for the Taoyuan Leopards of the T1 League. He is an NBA champion, eight-time All-Star, eight-time All-NBA Team honoree, five-time All-Defensive Team ...

during Game 5 of the Magic's first round playoff series, suffering a fractured sinus. The following day it was announced that he would miss Game 6 of the series due to the injury. He then returned for the second round matchup against the Boston Celtics but he was forced to wear a protective mask over his face for the remainder of the postseason. In Game 2 of the

2009 NBA Finals The 2009 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2008–09 season. The best-of-seven playoff was contested between the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers (who were also the defending ...

, Lee missed a potential game-winning layup with 0.6 seconds remaining on the shot-clock at the end of regulation that would have evened the series at 1-1.

New Jersey Nets (2009–2010)

After spending his rookie year with the Orlando Magic, Lee was traded on June 25, 2009, along with Rafer Alston and

Tony Battie Demetrius Antonio Battie (born February 11, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player. He works as an analyst for the Orlando Magic of the National Basketball Association (NBA). High school and college career Battie attended S ...

, to the

for future teammate

Vince Carter Vincent Lamar Carter Jr. (born January 26, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player who serves as a basketball analyst for ESPN. He primarily played the shooting guard and small forward positions, but occasionally played Powe ...

and Ryan Anderson. During the 2009–10 season, Lee led the Nets in steals (93), three-point shots made (76), and free throw percentage (86.9%). On March 8, 2010, he recorded a career high 30 points in a 107–101 loss to the

Houston Rockets (2010–2012)

On August 11, 2010, Lee was traded to the Houston Rockets in a four-team, five-player trade in which the Rockets sent Trevor Ariza to the

New Orleans Hornets New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...

. He was officially introduced by the Rockets on August 18, 2010.

Boston Celtics (2012–2014)

On July 20, 2012, Lee was traded to the Boston Celtics in a three team sign and trade deal involving the Houston Rockets and

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...

. Lee agreed to a 4-year, $21.5 million deal with Boston. He had a fine start to the 2013–14 season hitting around 50 percent of his 3-point attempts under new coach

Brad Stevens Bradley Kent Stevens (born October 22, 1976) is an American basketball executive and former coach who is currently the president of basketball operations for the Boston Celtics. Born and raised in Zionsville, Indiana, Stevens starred on the Zio ...

Memphis Grizzlies (2014–2016)

On January 7, 2014, a three-team trade was completed between the Celtics, the

, and the

Oklahoma City Thunder The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team plays i ...

. Boston traded Lee and a 2016 second round draft pick to Memphis for in exchange for the Grizzlies'

Jerryd Bayless Jerryd Andrew Bayless (born August 20, 1988) is an American former professional basketball player. He played a year of college basketball for the Arizona Wildcats after playing high school basketball at St. Mary's High School in Phoenix. He was ...

and the Thunder's Ryan Gomes.

Charlotte Hornets (2016)

On February 16, 2016, the Grizzlies traded Lee to the Charlotte Hornets in a three-team trade also involving the

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The club plays its home games at FT ...

. Five days later, he made his debut and first start with the Hornets in a 104–96 win over the Brooklyn Nets, recording five points, one rebound and one assist in 21 minutes.

New York Knicks (2016–2019)

On July 8, 2016, Lee signed with the New York Knicks. Prior to the start of the 2017–18 season, Lee was named co-captain of the Knicks alongside Lance Thomas. On January 15, 2018, in a 119–104 win over the

Brooklyn Nets The Brooklyn Nets are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Nets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The ...

, Lee made his 44th straight free throw on a third-quarter technical, tying the Knicks' record set by

Chris Duhon Christopher Nicholas Duhon (born August 31, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player. Duhon was a point guard for the Duke Blue Devils men's basketball team from 2000 to 2004. He then played for the Chicago Bulls, New York Kni ...

in 2008–09. Lee came into the game leading the league at 96.1 percent after hitting 73 of 76. Two days later, he converted a free throw in the second quarter of the Knicks' 105–99 loss to the

—his 45th straight, setting a franchise record. In December 2018, he played a game with the Knicks'

NBA G League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) from 2001 to 2005, and the NBA De ...

affiliate, the

Westchester Knicks The Westchester Knicks are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in White Plains, New York, and are affiliated with the New York Knicks. The Knicks typically play their home games at Westchester County Center in Whit ...

Dallas Mavericks (2019–2020)

On January 31, 2019, Lee was traded, along with Trey Burke, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Kristaps Porziņģis, to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for

DeAndre Jordan Hyland DeAndre Jordan Jr. (born July 21, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one season of college basketball for the Texas A&M Aggies. Jordan was se ...

Wesley Matthews Wesley Joel Matthews Jr. (born October 14, 1986) is an American professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Marquette Golden Eagles. He is the son of ...

, Dennis Smith Jr. and two future first-round draft picks. On June 22, 2020, the Dallas Mavericks announced that Lee suffered a left calf injury during the NBA hiatus. After becoming a free agent after the season, he was re-signed on December 11, 2020, but was waived after training camp. Lee retired on June 21, 2021.https://www.bgdailynews.com/sports/wku/hilltopper-legend-courtney-lee-enjoying-retirement/article_7ea263cc-26e5-5a15-ba76-d20eb8f20e3a.html

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Orlando Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures re ...

, 77 , , 42 , , 25.2 , , .450 , , .404 , , .830 , , 2.3 , , 1.2 , , 1.0 , , .2 , , 8.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

, 71 , , 66 , , 33.5 , , .436 , , .338 , , .869 , , 3.5 , , 1.7 , , 1.3 , , .3 , , 12.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...

, 81 , , 1 , , 21.3, , .439 , , .408 , , .792 , , 2.6 , , 1.2 , , .7 , , .2 , , 8.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 58 , , 26 , , 30.3 , , .433 , , .401 , , .826 , , 2.7 , , 1.5 , , 1.2 , , .4 , , 11.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, 78 , , 39 , , 24.9 , , .464 , , .372 , , .861 , , 2.4 , , 1.8 , , 1.1 , , .3 , , 7.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 30 , , 0 , , 16.8 , , .492 , , .442 , , .818 , , 1.6 , , 1.1 , , .7 , , .3 , , 7.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memp ...

, 49 , , 47 , , 30.0 , , .476 , , .345 , , .884 , , 2.8 , , 1.7 , , .9 , , .4 , , 11.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 77 , , 74 , , 30.6 , , .448 , , .402 , , .860 , , 2.3 , , 2.0 , , 1.0 , , .2 , , 10.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 51 , , 37 , , 29.2 , , .458 , , .370 , , .826 , , 2.3 , , 1.5 , , 1.0 , , .3 , , 10.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

, 28 , , 28 , , 30.2 , , .445 , , .392 , , .885 , , 3.1 , , 2.1 , , 1.2 , , .4 , , 8.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", New York , 77 , , 74 , , 31.9 , , .456 , , .401 , , .867 , , 3.4 , , 2.3 , , 1.1 , , .3 , , 10.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", New York , 76 , , 69 , , 30.4 , , .454 , , .406 , , .919 , , 2.9 , , 2.4 , , 1.1 , , .2 , , 12.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", New York , 12 , , 2 , , 13.3 , , .447 , , .313 , , .643 , , 2.3 , , 1.3 , , .7 , , .2 , , 4.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

, 22 , , 4 , , 12.2 , , .390 , , .282 , , .714 , , 1.2 , , 1.0 , , .6 , , .0 , , 3.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 24 , , 9 , , 14.4 , , .488 , , .447 , , .857 , , 1.3 , , .5 , , .8 , , .3 , , 4.5 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 811 , , 518 , , 27.1 , , .451 , , .388 , , .853 , , 2.6 , , 1.7 , , 1.0 , , .3 , , 9.6

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2009 , style="text-align:left;",

, 21 , , 16 , , 26.2 , , .435 , , .273 , , .885 , , 1.9 , , 1.3 , , .9 , , .1 , , 8.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 4 , , 0 , , 9.8 , , .200 , , .000 , , 1.000 , , .5 , , .3 , , .5 , , .0 , , 1.5 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 7 , , 7 , , 32.0 , , .417 , , .316 , , .778 , , 2.0 , , 1.6 , , .7 , , .3 , , 10.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2015 , style="text-align:left;",

, 11 , , 11 , , 33.4 , , .550 , , .467 , , .957 , , 2.5 , , 2.2 , , 1.1 , , .0 , , 13.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 7 , , 7 , , 36.7 , , .412 , , .444 , , .933 , , 2.9 , , 1.3 , , .9 , , .4 , , 8.6 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 50 , , 41 , , 28.7 , , .457 , , .346 , , .895 , , 2.1 , , 1.4 , , .9 , , .2 , , 9.0

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2004–05 , style="text-align:left;",

, 31 , , 31 , , 33.2 , , .450 , , .399 , , .722 , , 5.2 , , 2.0 , , 1.8 , , .5 , , 14.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2005–06 , style="text-align:left;", Western Kentucky , 30 , , 30 , , 31.1 , , .451 , , .408 , , .847 , , 6.3 , , 2.9 , , 2.6 , , .3 , , 17.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2006–07 , style="text-align:left;", Western Kentucky , 30 , , 30 , , 30.6 , , .472 , , .401 , , .840 , , 4.6 , , 1.9 , , 1.5 , , .8 , , 17.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2007–08 , style="text-align:left;", Western Kentucky , 36 , , 36 , , 30.0 , , .477 , , .397 , , .822 , , 4.9 , , 2.1 , , 1.8 , , .8 , , 20.4 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 127 , , 127 , , 31.2 , , .464 , , .401 , , .817 , , 5.2 , , 2.2 , , 1.9 , , .6 , , 17.6

References

External links

Courtney Lee
at yahoo.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Courtney 1985 births Living people African-American basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players from Indianapolis Boston Celtics players Charlotte Hornets players Dallas Mavericks players Houston Rockets players Memphis Grizzlies players New Jersey Nets players New York Knicks players Orlando Magic draft picks Orlando Magic players Shooting guards Small forwards Westchester Knicks players Western Kentucky Hilltoppers basketball players 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American people