David Lee has announced his retirement after 12 seasons in the NBA. Lee’s tenure with the New York Knicks will always have a special place in the hearts of fans.
After being drafted with the last pick in the first round of the 2005 NBA Draft, David Lee spent five seasons with the New York Knicks. He was never considered to be among the elite players in the league, but he was the Knicks’ best player, and that’s what made him beloved by fans.
The Knicks were never great during Lee’s five seasons with the team. They were never even good, winning a high of 33 games and never finishing above 11th in the Eastern Conference. Yet Lee always played with a determination that resonated with New Yorkers.
He wasn’t an uber-athlete with great speed and quickness. He never beat opponents with his strength. No, Lee found success because of the skills he acquired through hard work every single day.
He had a great midrange jumper, as well as the ability to finish around the rim with either hand. He was a terrific rebounder and an underrated passer in an era where facilitating big men weren’t such a hot commodity.
There are a couple highlights from David Lee’s tenure with the Knicks that will always be remembered by those mid-2000’s Knicks fans.
The first occurred on December 20, 2006. The Knicks were playing the then Charlotte Bobcats at Madison Square Garden, and the game was tied at 109 in double overtime. The Knicks were inbounding the ball with 0.1 seconds on the game clock.
They lobbed it towards the basket as Lee tipped it in to give the Knicks the victory.
The game didn’t mean much in the grand scheme of things. It didn’t help the Knicks make a playoff push or get them into the playoffs. But it was cool to see something so unique come from the Knicks’ best player.
It made Knicks fans proud to rep for David Lee because, all of a sudden, he was that player with the crazy game-winner.
The second great David Lee moment came in February of 2010. Lee was selected to replace Allen Iverson as an Eastern Conference reserve in the 2010 NBA All-Star Game.
It was well-deserved, as Lee averaged 20.2 points, 11.7 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game during the 2009-10 season. At the time, he became the first Knicks All-Star since Latrell Sprewell and Allen Houston made the cut in 2001.
It was Lee’s first of two trips to the All-Star Game.
Knicks fans had always unconditionally thought of Lee as a great player. But to get that recognition from the league was a true testament to how far Lee had come since entering the league in 2005.
Lee was always appreciated by Knicks fans despite never having postseason success during his Knicks tenure.
New Yorkers love athletes who come to work every day with a blue-collar mentality. They appreciate the players who aren’t given anything, who work hard for what they achieve, and who don’t take anything for granted.
Not many players represented those values better than former New York Knicks star David Lee.
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Happy retirement, No. 42. Once a Knick, always a Knick.