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Background
THE DRAFT: Quoting assistant coach Herb Williams: “David Lee is a worker. He’s a guy you put in the game (to be) your blue collar worker. He’s gonna rebound the basketball, he’ll fight guys for you, he’s gonna battle. He’s a guy that you need on the team; you need those guys on the team who are going to fight every minute on the court.”. . .Quoting assistant coach Michael Malone: “New Yorkers will love him because he’s blue collar all the way. Plays hard every possession, doesn’t take any time off when he’s on the floor. He can run the floor, he rebounds, does all the dirty work. He’s going to be a crowd favorite because they’re really going to appreciate how hard he plays.”. . .and quoting David: “In the end, I get a lot of loose balls and rebounds just by giving the extra effort. If you come into this league as a rookie expecting to score 20 points a game, you’re going to have a rude awakening. I have to affect the game without getting a shot. And when a scoring opportunity comes along, I can take advantage. It’s just not the first thing I look to do.”. . .Selected in the first round (30th overall) in 2005 NBA Draft after a four-year career at Florida; signed to a contract on July 1, 2005. . .In his first professional action, David averaged 11.5 ppg, team-high 5.6 rpg and shot .567 (38-67 FGA) over 25.8 mpg in 10 games (all starts) for Knicks Summer League squad in Las Vegas and Minneapolis.
2004-05 (Florida): Capped four-year career at Florida with All-SEC Second Team and SEC All-Tournament Team honors after leading Gators to first conference title. . .Team captain averaged career-highs 13.6 ppg and 9.0 rpg with .525 shooting (160-305 FGA) over 28.0 mpg in 32 games (all starts). . .Led Gators in rebounding for third straight year and in FG pct. for the fourth straight season. . .Recorded 12 double-doubles and four 20+ scoring games. . .Season-highs 21 points twice (Feb 12, 2005 at Tennessee and Feb 19, 2005 at LSU). . .Hauled in a career-high 17 rebounds twice: on Jan 15, 2005 at Vanderbilt and in SEC title game triumph over Kentucky on March 13, 2005 (SEC Tournament record). . .Shot .714 from the line (115-161 FTA) and had three games with 10+ FTA. . .Averaged 17.0 points and 9.0 rebounds in NCAA Tournament play.
AS A COLLEGIAN: Finished in the Top 15 in career scoring at FU (11.3 ppg), eighth in career double-doubles (22), fifth in career FG pct. (.581), sixth in blocked shots (109) and third in dunks (157). . .Led Gators in field goal percentage in each of his four seasons, and in rebounds in each of his last three. . .All-SEC honoree as both a junior and senior. . .Career .581 FG shooter, notching .648 from the floor as a sophomore. . .Stepped up his play in the postseason, averaging 14.8 ppg and 6.8 rpg in the NCAA Tournament over his career. . .Averaged 11.3 ppg, 6.8 rpg and .581 from the floor in 127 college games (95 starts). . .Came off the bench in all 31 games as a freshman, then started all but one game over his final three seasons. . .2001-02: Notched 7.0 ppg, 4.7 rpg and shot .579 from the field over 18.9 mpg in 31 games off the bench in freshman season. . .Named to All-SEC Freshman Team. . Had 11 double-figure scoring games. . .2002-03: Became fulltime starter as a sophomore, averaging 11.2 ppg and 6.8 rpg over 26.2 mpg in 33 games (all starts). . .Shot a career-high .648 from the field (149-230 FGA), the second-best mark in school history. . .Had seven double-figure rebound games and five double-doubles. . .Notched career-high four blocks twice. . .Double-figure points in 20 of his 33 games. . .2003-04: Named to All-SEC Second Team (coaches) and Third Team (media) as a junior. . .Notched 13.3 ppg, 6.8 rpg and .588 FG pct. over 27.5 mpg in 31 games (30 starts). . .Scored in double figures in 22 games, and had a career-high 24 points three times. . .Became the seventh player in Gator history to reach 1,000 points. . .Went a perfect 12-for-12 from the field en route to 24 points vs. Northeastern, Dec 22, 2003, tying SEC one-game record for most FGM without a miss. . .Dished off a career-high six assists vs. Vanderbilt, March 13, 2004, in SEC Tournament semifinals.
Personal
HIGH SCHOOL/PERSONAL: David Lee. . .At Chaminade Prep in St. Louis, was selected to 2001 McDonald’s All-American Game, winning the Slam Dunk contest. . .Second Team Sporting News All-American as a high school senior. . .Played for the same AAU squad as fellow St. Louis native Larry Hughes. . .Featured in an eight-part recruiting diary in The Sporting News in September 2000. . .Member of the National Honor Society as a junior and senior. . .Played under former Knick Billy Donovan at Florida, who called Lee and Donnell Harvey the two best rebounders he’s ever coached. . .Highly active in Goodwill Gator community functions during college career. . .Played tennis regularly until age 12. . .Grew from 6-foot-2 to 6-foot-9 between freshman and sophomore seasons in high school. . .Natural lefty is ambidextrous. Quoting David: “I’ve always been comfortable dribbling and finishing around the basket with both hands, things like that. I think it makes you a lot more deceptive, especially around the basket. If you’re able to finish with either hand, it makes it easier to get shots off in the post. It came naturally, in that I also broke my left arm when I was in school, so I worked a lot on my right hand. That was in my sophomore year of high school, when I worked on my right hand. And ever since then, (I’ve) just been doing things with both hands.”
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