Gerald Lee ended his basketball career at Dowling as one of the top three players in program history. Lee arrived at Dowling in 1971 after playing two years at Berkley Junior College in West Virginia. The Dorchester Mass. Native led the 1972-73 team in total points, assists, rebounds, and steals and single-handedly made a weak team competitive. The 6-3 guard was seen as an exceptional ball handler and highly regarded as an all-around athlete by head coach Dick Berg.

When Lee’s career ended at Dowling in 1973 he headed to Finland and began a pro career that lasted 19 seasons. He was the first player ever to score a triple-double in the league when he netted 34 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, and dished out 10 steals on November 26, 1986. When Lee became a Finnish citizen, he played in 8 men’s national games and scored a total of 40 points at the age of forty years old. Lee currently holds the record for career points (12,566) and steals (1,145) in Finnish pro basketball, and is ranked second in assists (1,000). Lee led his team to the playoffs 12 times while averaging an impressive 23.3 points in the postseason.

Lee played at Finland’s highest level until 1997 (46 years old) and currently plays on a second division team. Lee’s two brothers, Russell and Donald both played in the NBA and all four of his children played basketball as well. Lee and his wife, Ritva, have three daughters, Nadja (24), Odetta (21), and Ida (19) and one son, Gerald Jr.(16).

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