Butch Lee facts for kids
Lee as a senior at Marquette
|
|
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 5, 1956 Santurce, Puerto Rico |
| High school | DeWitt Clinton (The Bronx, New York) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Listed weight | 185 lb (84 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | Marquette (1974–1978) |
| NBA Draft | 1978 / Round: 1 / Pick: 10th overall |
| Selected by the Atlanta Hawks | |
| Pro career | 1975–1990 |
| Career history | |
| As player: | |
| 1975–1977 | Cardenales de Río Piedras |
| 1978–1979 | Atlanta Hawks |
| 1979–1980 | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 1980 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 1984 | Cardenales de Río Piedras |
| 1985 | Brujos de Guayama |
| 1985 | Atléticos de San Germán |
| 1986–1989 | Leones de Ponce |
| 1990 | Polluelos de Aibonito |
| As coach: | |
| 1999 | Indios de Mayagüez |
| 2001–2002 | Tiburones de Aguadilla |
| 2002–2004 | Gigantes de Carolina |
| 2009 | Cangrejeros de Santurce |
| Career highlights and awards | |
|
|
Alfred "Butch" Lee Jr. (born December 5, 1956) is a former professional basketball player from Puerto Rico. He made history as the first Puerto Rican and the first athlete born in Latin America to play in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He joined the NBA after being picked in the first round of the 1978 NBA draft.
Butch Lee started his amazing career in college basketball. He played for Marquette University and won many "Player of the Year" awards. He was also named an All-American player during his junior and senior years. In 1977, Lee was chosen as the Most Outstanding Player at the Final Four tournament. He led his team, the Marquette Warriors, to their first national championship. Because of his great achievements, Marquette University retired his jersey number.
After college, he played in the NBA for teams like the Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Los Angeles Lakers. Later, Lee finished his playing career in the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN) league in Puerto Rico. He is the only Puerto Rican basketball player to win championships in the NCAA, NBA, and BSN. Butch Lee also played for the Puerto Rican national team.
Contents
Butch Lee's Basketball Journey
Early Life and College Career
Butch Lee was born in Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico. His family moved to Harlem, New York, when he was a young child. In New York, he became a top basketball player at DeWitt Clinton High School in the Bronx. He was also an honor student there.
Lee showed great basketball talent from a young age. Many college scouts were very impressed by his playing style. He decided to play for Marquette University from 1974 to 1978. In 1974, Lee wanted to play for the U.S. Olympic basketball team. However, his coach had already sent someone else. So, Lee went to Puerto Rico and joined the Puerto Rican national team.
At the 1976 Summer Olympics, Puerto Rico played against the U.S. team. Lee scored 35 points and made 15 out of 18 shots! Even with his amazing effort, the U.S. team won by just one point, 95–94.
In 1977, Lee led Marquette to the Final Four. This was a special season because his coach, Al McGuire, had announced it would be his last. In the semifinal game, the Warriors beat UNC-Charlotte 51–49. Lee made a long pass to Jerome Whitehead for a score right before the buzzer. In the championship game against North Carolina, Lee scored 19 points. He helped the Warriors come from behind to win 67–59 and secure the national championship. Butch Lee was named the tournament's most outstanding player.
Playing in the NBA
After his successful college career, Butch Lee became the first Puerto Rican player in the National Basketball Association. He was picked by the Atlanta Hawks in the first round of the 1978 NBA draft.
During his first NBA season (1978-79), Lee played 49 games for the Hawks. He averaged 7.7 points per game. He was then traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers. With the Cavaliers, he played some of his best games, scoring 11.5 points per game in 33 games. He finished his first NBA season averaging 9.6 points per game. Lee also played in all 82 games that season, leading the league.
In the 1979-1980 season, Lee played only three games for the Cavaliers. He suffered a serious knee injury that needed surgery. This injury made it very hard for him to continue his basketball career. He only scored 1.3 points per game in those three games. Before the season ended, he was traded again, this time to the Los Angeles Lakers.
With the Lakers, he played alongside famous players like Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He played 11 games before his injury returned, forcing him to retire. Even though his time with the Lakers was short, he won an NBA championship ring. The Lakers went on to beat the Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA Finals that season.
NBA Career Stats
In his 96 NBA games, Butch Lee scored a total of 779 points. He averaged 8.1 points per game. He also had 307 assists (3.2 per game) and 137 rebounds (1.4 per game). He made 87 steals, averaging 0.9 per game. His field goal percentage was .450, and his free-throw percentage was .761.
Coaching Career
After his time as an NBA player, Butch Lee returned to Puerto Rico. He speaks Spanish fluently. He became a well-known and respected head coach for many teams in the BSN.
In 1992, Lee coached the Capitanes de Arecibo team to the BSN Finals. They lost to the Leones de Ponce in 6 games. He also coached teams like Aguadilla, Ponce, and the Gigantes de Carolina.
In January 2009, he was announced as the new coach for the Cangrejeros de Santurce. However, he was let go during the playoffs after his team lost two games in a row.
Butch Lee continued to help basketball teams. He also coached at the Guaynabo Basketball Academy (GBA).
See also
In Spanish: Butch Lee para niños
- Race and ethnicity in the NBA
- List of Puerto Ricans
