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Puerto Rico is a country that loves basketball and they have a total of 17 players that made it in the NBA. Looking back, the one who paved the way for the likes of Carlos Arroyo, JJ Barea and Jose Alvarado was Butch Lee, who entered the league in 1978.
Lee was born in Santurce, San Juan in Puerto Rico but moved to Harlem, New York, when he was still a child. Growing up and feeling a love for basketball, his efforts were recognized by Marquette, who had him play college ball from 1974-78.
Moving to the next level, Lee was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks as the 10th overall pick in the 1978 NBA draft that featured Michael Ray Richardson, Phil Ford, Reggie Theus, Maurice Cheeks and Larry Bird.
After just 49 games for the Atlanta Hawks in his rookie year, he was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers where he averaged his league-best of 11.5 points, 3.8 assists and 2.0 rebounds per game.
The following season, Lee suffered a knee injury in just the first three games. That was a big blow to the young career of the first Puerto Rican player and his numbers dipped fast.
Lee got traded again to the Los Angeles Lakers later that year and got to play alongside Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for just eleven games before the recurring injuries forced him to retire at 23 years old.
The legacy of Butch Lee and Puerto Rico players in the NBA
Trailblazing a path for young Puerto Ricans to have a chance to play in the NBA, Butch Lee is indeed a legend in his own country.
Puerto Rico created a huge shockwave in the basketball world as they were the team that gave Team USA their third loss in the Olympics since 1988. Along with Arroyo were Jose Rafael Ortiz-Rios, Daniel Santiago and Peter John Ramos who all made it into the NBA.
This win by the Puerto Ricans against the USA team that featured Tim Duncan, Allen Iverson, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade opened a floodgate of athletes coming into the NBA.
JJ Barea, Shabazz Napier and Maurice Harkless all came into the league after and had decent careers. Among the active Puerto Ricans that are actively playing in the NBA are Jose Alvarado of the New Orleans Pelicans and Julian Strawther of the Denver Nuggets.
Guess the Lakers players!
