Kurk Lee facts for kids

Marvin Kurk Lee (born June 3, 1967) is a former professional basketball player from America. He played for the New Jersey Nets in the NBA during the 1990–91 season. Kurk also won three basketball championships in Finland with a team called Torpan Pojat between 1996 and 1998. In 1997, he was even named the best foreign player in the Finnish league, called Korisliiga.

College Basketball Career

Kurk Lee, who is 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighs 190 pounds, was a guard born in Baltimore, Maryland. He played college basketball at both Western Kentucky University and Towson State University. He was the first player from Towson to play in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Because of his great impact, Kurk Lee was added to the Towson Hall of Fame in 2000.

Making an Impact at Towson

Kurk Lee helped the Towson Tigers basketball team have their first two winning seasons in NCAA Division I. This happened in the 1988–89 and 1989–90 seasons. In the 1988–89 season, he was named the East Coast Conference (ECC) Player of the Year. He was the first Towson player to receive this honor.

He led the league in scoring, averaging 25.4 points per game. This made him the 13th highest scorer in NCAA Division I that year. He was chosen as the ECC Player of the Week five times. He also received an honorable mention as an All-America selection. Kurk helped the Tigers achieve a 19–10 record and finish second in the ECC. He also led the ECC in steals and free throw percentage. Plus, he averaged 5.6 rebounds per game.

College Scoring Records

In his two seasons at Towson, Kurk Lee scored a total of 1,514 points. He finished his college career as the fourth-highest scorer in the Tigers' history.

Professional Basketball Journey

After college, Kurk Lee joined the New Jersey Nets in 1990 as a free agent. He played in 33 games during the 1990–91 NBA season, averaging 1.4 points per game. After his time with the Nets, he played for the Oklahoma City team in the Continental Basketball Association for one year.

Playing in Different Leagues

Kurk Lee also played in other basketball leagues. These included the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) and the International Basketball League (IBL). He also played basketball in different countries like the Philippines, Turkey, Finland, and Estonia.

He returned to the Baltimore area and played for the Baltimore Bay Runners in the International Basketball League. While with the Bay Runners, he played for his college coach from Towson, Terry Truax. Kurk Lee was one of the best players for the Bay Runners. He led the IBL in free throw percentage.

Success in Finland

From 1995 to December 1998, Kurk Lee played for Torpan Pojat in the Korisliiga, which is Finland's top basketball league. During this time, he helped his team win the Finnish championship three times. They also won the Finnish Basketball Cup twice. In 1997, he was recognized as the Korisliiga Foreign Player of the Year.

Playing in Iceland and Estonia

In January 1999, Kurk Lee signed with ÍA in Iceland's top league, the Úrvalsdeild karla. In 8 games for the team, he averaged 32.4 points, 12.1 rebounds, and 5.8 assists.

He spent the first part of the 2001–2002 season with TTÜ-A. Le Coq in Estonia's Korvpalli Meistriliiga. The team released him in December. In January, he went back to Finland and joined Pussihukat. In 15 games for this team, he averaged 12.0 points and 4.9 rebounds. Kurk Lee stopped playing professional basketball in April 2002.

Personal Life and Community Work

Kurk Lee's son, Kurk Lee Jr., also plays college basketball at Drexel University.

Kurk Lee was given the IBL's first Community Service Man of the Year award. He has been involved in community service in the Baltimore area since he finished college in 1990. He has worked with the Special Olympics. He also runs many basketball camps and clinics when he is not playing. He has also been a basketball coach at Southside Academy. At the same time, he worked as a substitute teacher there.

See also

In Spanish: Kurk Lee para niños