Clyde Lee
Clyde Lee | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 14, 1944 Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Occupation | Professional basketball player (retired) |
| Years active | 1966–1976 |
| Known for | NBA All-Star, Vanderbilt University basketball star |
Clyde Wayne Lee (born March 14, 1944) is a retired American professional basketball athlete renowned for his exceptional tenure as an All-American center at Vanderbilt University. Twice honored as the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Player of the Year, Lee was highly regarded entering the professional ranks and was chosen third overall in the 1965 NBA draft. His NBA career spanned a decade, during which he earned one selection as an NBA All-Star.
Early life
Hailing from Nashville, Tennessee, Lee attended David Lipscomb Campus School between 1961 and 1963. He is celebrated as one of the most outstanding high school basketball talents in Nashville history, laying a strong foundation for his subsequent collegiate and professional achievements.
College career
Standing 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m), Lee primarily played as a power forward and center at Vanderbilt under coach Roy Skinner from 1963 through 1966. Renowned for his rebounding prowess and scoring ability close to the basket, he averaged 18.8 points and led the SEC with 15.6 rebounds per game during his sophomore year. Over time, he refined a reliable mid-range jump shot, emerging as one of the nation’s premier big men.
In his junior year (1964-65), Lee topped the SEC charts in both scoring (22.5 points per game) and rebounding (15 rebounds per game), setting school records for total points (631), field goals made (239), and rebounds (420), with the latter remaining a Vanderbilt record as of 2025. He received second team All-American recognition that season. After posting a then-school-record 41 points against Kentucky, Wildcats coach Adolph Rupp described him as "a fine one," while North Carolina’s Dean Smith labeled him "a great one."
The Commodores advanced to the NCAA Mideast Regional Finals, where they narrowly fell to top-ranked Michigan by a score of 87–85. Lee outperformed Michigan star Bill Buntin, recording 28 points and 20 rebounds, earning Mideast Regional MVP honors along with a spot on the NCAA all-tournament team. Vanderbilt finished with a 24–4 record, clinching its first Southeast Conference championship at 15–1, and Lee secured his first SEC Player of the Year award—a distinction he would earn again consecutively.
During his senior campaign (1965–66), Lee set a Vanderbilt single-game rebound record with 28 boards against Ole Miss while contributing 29 points. Despite finishing with an impressive 22–4 record and achieving an eighth-place national ranking, Vanderbilt did not receive an NCAA Tournament invitation. Lee averaged career-best numbers of 22.7 points and 15.8 rebounds per game—both still holding as school records in 2025—and was named first team All-American in addition to sharing SEC Player of the Year honors with Kentucky’s Pat Riley.
Across his collegiate tenure spanning 79 games, Lee posted averages of 21.4 points and 15.5 rebounds per contest, guiding Vanderbilt to 65 victories over three seasons. His impact on the program was so significant that Memorial Gym expanded seating capacity, earning the nickname “the balconies that Clyde Lee built.”
San Francisco/Golden State Warriors
Following four years at Vanderbilt, Lee entered the professional ranks when the San Francisco Warriors selected him third overall in the 1966 NBA draft, trailing only behind Cazzie Russell and Dave Bing.
In his rookie campaign (1966–67), Lee averaged 7.4 rebounds during 16.9 minutes per game. The Warriors advanced to the NBA Finals but were defeated four games to two by Wilt Chamberlain’s Philadelphia 76ers; Lee contributed averages of 6.4 points and 7.2 rebounds throughout the series. His sophomore season saw substantial improvement as he posted nearly 12 points and 14 rebounds per contest across roughly 33 minutes on court, earning a spot in the 1968 NBA All-Star Game, where he recorded six points and eleven rebounds in eighteen minutes of play. The Warriors reached the Western Division finals but were swept by the Los Angeles Lakers, with Lee averaging 10.3 points and an impressive 15.5 rebounds.
Over the subsequent two seasons, Lee consistently maintained double-double averages—10.7 points with 13.8 rebounds in 1968-69, followed by 11 points and 11.3 rebounds in 1969-70. In the 1970-71 season, playing time diminished behind starter Nate Thurmond, yet he reclaimed a starting role at power forward in 1971-72, posting a career-high average of 14.5 rebounds per game alongside Thurmond’s dominant presence inside. He remained with the Warriors for two more seasons (1972-74), sustaining double-digit averages during their playoff run to the conference finals in ’73 despite another loss to the Lakers.
Throughout eight seasons with San Francisco/Golden State, Lee was instrumental in leading the franchise to six playoff appearances. He ranked fourth league-wide in rebounding average during the ’67-68 season and secured top-10 rebounding finishes three additional times (’68-69, ’69-70, ’71-72). In total, across fifty-one postseason games—including forty-eight with the Warriors—Lee averaged an efficient ten rebounds within just over twenty-six minutes per contest.
Later career
On October 4, 1974, Lee was the player to be named later sent to the Atlanta Hawks, finalizing a deal initiated on February 2, 1970, when the Warriors obtained NBA rights to Zelmo Beaty in return for a first-round draft pick that was ultimately used to select Pete Maravich. After participating in nine games with Atlanta, Lee was traded on November 8, 1974, along with a third-round pick in the 1975 NBA draft (39th overall), to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Tom Van Arsdale. He concluded his professional playing days with Philadelphia, where during the 1974-75 season he averaged close to 10 rebounds per game.
Lee earned recognition primarily for his defensive skills and rebounding ability. He characterized his contribution as performing "the dirty work," concentrating on securing offensive rebounds and maintaining ball possession rather than focusing on scoring points.
Throughout a decade-long NBA tenure spanning from 1966 to 1976 with the Warriors, Hawks, and 76ers, Lee accumulated 5,733 points (7.7 points per game) and secured 7,626 rebounds (10.3 rebounds per game) over 742 contests. As of March 2025, he holds the position of 46th all-time in NBA history for rebounds per game and ranks 56th when combining NBA and ABA statistics.
Personal
Lee incorporated yoga into his routine as a method to alleviate pain stemming from basketball-related injuries and went on to teach yoga classes at Vanderbilt University. Additionally, he contributed as a color commentator for Vanderbilt men's basketball radio broadcasts.
Honors
In recognition of his achievements, Vanderbilt University designated "Clyde Lee Day" in 1966 during his final home game. He was honored as the first player from Vanderbilt to have his jersey number retired. Further accolades include his induction into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 1995 and inclusion in the inaugural class of the Vanderbilt Athletics Hall of Fame in 2008.
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | STL | BLK | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966–67 | San Francisco | 74 | 16.9 | .408 | .633 | 7.4 | 1.0 | – | – | 7.0 |
| 1967–68 | San Francisco | 82 | 32.9 | .417 | .684 | 13.9 | 1.6 | – | – | 11.9 |
| 1968–69 | San Francisco | 65 | 34.4 | .398 | .625 | 13.8 | 1.3 | – | – | 10.7 |
| 1969–70 | San Francisco | 82 | 32.2 | .440 | .593 | 11.3 | 1.0 | – | – | 11.0 |
| 1970–71 | San Francisco | 82 | 17.0 | .453 | .558 | 7.0 | .8 | – | – | 6.1 |
| 1971–72 | Golden State | 78 | 34.3 | .471 | .541 | 14.5 | 1.1 | – | – | 8.1 |
| 1972–73 | Golden State | 66 | 22.4 | .466 | .565 | 9.1 | .5 | – | – | 6.3 |
| 1973–74 | Golden State | '54 | '30.4 | ' .454 | ' .579 | '11.1 | '1.3 | ' .5 | ' .3 | '5.9 |
| '1974–75 | 'Atlanta | '9 | '19.7 | ' .333 | ' .821 | '7.8 | ' .9 | ' .1 | ' .4 | '6.2 |
| '1974–75 | 'Philadelphia | '71 | '32.1 | ' .419 | ' .630 | '9.7 | '1.4 | ' .4 | ' .2 | '5.8 |
| '1975–76 | 'Philadelphia | '79 | '18.0 | ' .436 | ' .663 | '5.7 | ' .7 | ' .3 | ' .3 | '3.9 |
| Career | '742' | '26.8' | ' .432' | ' .614' | '10.3' | '1.1' | ' .4' | ' .3' | '7.7' | |
| All-Star | '1' | '18.0' | ' .250' | ' .500' | '11.0' | '2.0' | '–' | '–' | '6.0' | |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | STL | BLK | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | San Francisco | 11 | 11.8 | .333 | .200 | 4.9 | .7 | – | – | 3.6 |
| 1968 | San Francisco | 10 | 40.5 | .410 | .500 | 13.2 | 2.2 | – | – | 11.4 |
| 1969 | San Francisco | 6 | 21.5 | .273 | .818 | 7.2 | .8 | – | – | 4.5 |
| 1971 | San Francisco | 5 | 18.6 | .417 | .500 | 7.4 | .4 | – | – | 4.8 |
| 1972 | Golden State | 5 | 35.0 | .286 | .667 | 12.8 | 1.4 | – | – | 4.8 |
| 1973 | Golden State | '11' | '37.5' | '0.466' | '0.656' | '15.7' | '1.5' | '–' | '–' | '10.6' |
| 1976 | Philadelphia | '3' | '17.7' | '0.677' | '0.857' | '5.3' | '0.3' | '0' | '0.3' | '4.7' |
| Career Totals | '51' | '27.4' | '0.397' | '0.586' | '10.2' | '1.2' | '0' | '0.3' | '7.1' | |