![]()
Lee with Vanderbilt in 2020
| |
No. 38 – Phoenix Suns | |
---|---|
Position | Point guard |
League | NBA |
Personal information | |
Born | (1999-06-23) June 23, 1999 (age 25) St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
Listed weight | 183 lb (83 kg) |
Career information | |
High school | Corona del Sol (Tempe, Arizona) |
College | Vanderbilt (2017–2020) |
NBA draft | 2020: 2nd round, 38th overall pick |
Selected by the Utah Jazz | |
Playing career | 2020–present |
Career history | |
2020–2022 | Detroit Pistons |
2021–2022 | →Motor City Cruise |
2022 | Raptors 905 |
2022 | Philadelphia 76ers |
2022 | →Delaware Blue Coats |
2022–2023 | Raptors 905 |
2023–present | Phoenix Suns |
2024–present | →Valley Suns |
Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Stats ![]() | |
Stats ![]() | |
Saben Anthonia Lee (/ˈseɪbən/ SAY-bən;[1] born June 23, 1999) is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the Valley Suns of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Vanderbilt Commodores.
Lee grew up in Phoenix, Arizona and attended Corona del Sol High SchoolinTempe, Arizona. As a junior, Lee was named first-team All-State after averaging 18 points, five rebounds, and three assists per game.[2] Lee committed to play college basketball at Vanderbilt after his junior year over offers from Louisville, Stanford, Florida State, and Nebraska.[3][4] He was again named first team All-State as a senior and scored 39 points against Cesar Chavez High School in the state semifinal to lead the Aztecs to the state title game before falling to Basha High School.[5][6]
Lee served as the Commodores starting point guard as a true freshman and averaged 10.6 points, 3.1 assists and a team-leading 1.2 steals per game.[7] As a sophomore, Lee averaged 12.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.0 steals per game.[8][9][10] As a junior, he averaged 18.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.5 steals per game and was named second team All-SEC by the Associated Press.[11][12] He scored a career high 38 points on March 3, 2020 in an 87–79 win over Alabama.[13] Following the end of the season, Lee declared for the 2020 NBA draft.[14] On May 1, he announced he was signing with an agent and forgoing his last season of eligibility.[15]
Lee was selected 38th overall by the Utah Jazz in the 2020 NBA draft, then subsequently traded to the Detroit Pistons on November 22, 2020.[16][17] On December 1, 2020, the Detroit Pistons signed him to a two-way contract with their NBA G League affiliate, the Motor City Cruise.[18][19] On May 11, 2021, Lee scored a career-high 22 points in a 119-100 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. On August 6, 2021, the Pistons re-signed Lee to a multi-year contract.[20] On April 1, 2022, Lee achieved his first career double-double, with 11 points and 12 assists in a 110-101 win against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
On September 26, 2022, Lee was traded with Kelly Olynyk to the Utah Jazz for Bojan Bogdanović.[21] He was waived by the Jazz on October 9.[22] On October 11, Lee signed an exhibit 10 contract with the Phoenix Suns.[23] He was waived on October 13.[24] On October 16, Lee signed an exhibit 10 contract with the Toronto Raptors, but was waived the same day.[25] On October 18, Lee joined the Raptors 905 of the NBA G League.
On November 23, 2022, Lee signed with the Philadelphia 76ers, replacing Michael Foster Jr. on a two-way contract.[26] On December 26, he was waived in favor of Louis King.[27]
On December 28, 2022, Lee was re-acquired by the Raptors 905.[28]
On January 11, 2023, Lee signed a 10-day contract with the Phoenix Suns.[29] He signed a second 10-day contract with the Suns on January 21.[30] Lee signed a two-way contract with the Suns on February 1.[31] He was named to the G League's inaugural Next Up Game for the 2022–23 season.[32] During the final game of the regular season, Lee recorded his second double-double of his NBA career (first with the Suns) with a career-high 25 points and 10 rebounds in a 119–114 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on April 9, 2023.[33]
On July 13, 2023, Lee signed another two-way contract with the Suns.[34]
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 |
Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2020–21 | Detroit | 48 | 7 | 16.3 | .471 | .348 | .685 | 2.0 | 3.6 | .7 | .3 | 5.6 |
2021–22 | Detroit | 37 | 0 | 16.3 | .390 | .233 | .789 | 2.4 | 2.9 | 1.0 | .3 | 5.6 |
2022–23 | Philadelphia | 2 | 0 | 5.1 | .750 | .000 | — | .0 | 1.0 | .5 | .0 | 3.0 |
2022–23 | Phoenix | 23 | 1 | 15.8 | .393 | .379 | .737 | 2.0 | 2.8 | .8 | .0 | 6.3 |
2023–24 | Phoenix | 24 | 0 | 7.7 | .364 | .125 | .744 | 1.3 | 1.3 | .3 | .1 | 3.0 |
Career | 134 | 8 | 14.5 | .421 | .271 | .734 | 1.9 | 2.8 | .7 | .2 | 5.2 |
Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2017–18 | Vanderbilt | 32 | 29 | 26.8 | .462 | .307 | .726 | 3.0 | 3.1 | 1.2 | .2 | 10.6 |
2018–19 | Vanderbilt | 32 | 32 | 32.6 | .460 | .362 | .675 | 3.3 | 3.8 | 1.0 | .2 | 12.7 |
2019–20 | Vanderbilt | 32 | 17 | 32.9 | .483 | .322 | .752 | 3.5 | 4.2 | 1.5 | .3 | 18.6 |
Career | 96 | 78 | 30.7 | .471 | .328 | .718 | 3.3 | 3.7 | 1.3 | .2 | 13.9 |
Lee is the son of former NFL running back Amp Lee and Vanderbilt University Law Graduate, Natalie Williams.[35] He is a cousin of basketball player Trent Forrest.[36]