What is David Lee's Net Worth and Salary?
David Lee is a retired American professional basketball player who has a net worth of $40 million. Not to be confused with the famous Ferarri collector named David Lee, this David Lee played in the NBA from 2005 to 2017. After starting his career with the New York Knicks, he played for the Golden State Warriors, Boston Celtics, Dallas Mavericks, and San Antonio Spurs. With the Warriors, Lee won the 2015 NBA championship.
Career Earnings
In total during his career he made just under $98 million in salary alone. His peak earning season was 2015-2016 when he earned $15.4 million playing for the Celtics.
Early Life and High School
David Lee was born on April 29, 1983 in St. Louis, Missouri. He was educated at John Burroughs School and Chaminade College Preparatory School in the St. Louis suburbs. Although naturally left-handed, Lee became ambidextrous when he broke his left arm and had to learn how to play basketball right-handed. In high school, he was named a McDonald's All American and won the 2001 Slam Dunk competition.
Collegiate Career
For college, Lee went to the University of Florida on an athletic scholarship. There, he played for the Gators basketball team under coach Billy Donovan. As a freshman in 2002, Lee was named to the All-SEC freshman team. In his sophomore season, he averaged 11.5 points and seven rebounds per game. As a junior, Lee averaged 13 points and seven rebounds per game as he earned a second-team All-SEC selection. He finished his career at Florida on a high note in 2005, as the Gators won their first-ever SEC men's basketball tournament by defeating the Kentucky Wildcats in the final.
New York Knicks
In the 2005 NBA draft, Lee was chosen by the New York Knicks. He went on to play in 67 games in his rookie season, averaging 5.1 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. Lee performed well in the 2006-07 season, but saw reduced playing time toward the end of the season after suffering a bad ankle sprain in a game against the Milwaukee Bucks in February. He had one of his best seasons with the Knicks in 2008-09; in late November of 2008, he scored a career-high 37 points and became the first Knicks player since Patrick Ewing in 1997 with 30 points and 20 rebounds in a game. The following month, in a game against the Chicago Bulls, Lee became the 11th Knicks player ever to post 10 consecutive double-doubles. In his final season with the Knicks in 2009-10, he was chosen for the 2010 NBA All-Star Game, and in April, recorded his first career triple-double in a game against the Golden State Warriors.
Golden State Warriors
After becoming an unrestricted free agent in the 2010 offseason, Lee signed with the Golden State Warriors. In his first season with the team, he averaged 16.5 points and 9.8 rebounds per game across 73 games, all of which were starts. During the 2011-12 season, Lee recorded his second career triple-double, and averaged over 20 points per game. The next season, he was selected to the 2013 NBA All-Star Game, and posted his third career triple-double. Lee finished the season averaging 18.5 points and 11.2 rebounds per game, and led the league with 56 double-doubles. The Warriors went on to make it to the playoffs, where they fell to the San Antonio Spurs. Despite an injury taking him out of 24 of the first 25 games of his final season with the Warriors in 2014-15, as well as becoming a reserve, Lee eventually returned to help the Warriors win the 2015 NBA championship.
Boston Celtics
In the summer of 2015, Lee was traded to the Boston Celtics. He made his debut in the team's season-opener against the Philadelphia 76ers, posting eight points and five rebounds in a 112-95 victory. However, having begun the season out of shape, Lee started only three games for the Celtics before he was moved to the bench. Eventually, he was put out of the rotation entirely. In February of 2016, Lee was waived by the team.
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Dallas Mavericks
A few days after being waived by the Celtics, Lee signed with the Dallas Mavericks. He made his debut with the team in a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, recording four points and four rebounds off the bench. In his second game with the Mavericks, Lee recorded 14 points and 14 rebounds in an overtime win against the Denver Nuggets. The Mavericks went on to the playoffs, but Lee missed the team's first two games due to a right foot injury. Ultimately, the Mavs fell to the Thunder in the first round.
San Antonio Spurs
Lee signed with the San Antonio Spurs in the summer of 2016. In his debut with the team in late October, he posted six points and six rebounds off the bench in a win over the Warriors. Later in the season, in March, he scored a season-high 18 points in a victory over the Indiana Pacers, a number he repeated just a week later in a win over the Sacramento Kings. After the season, Lee declined his player option, becoming a free agent. He announced his retirement from professional playing in late 2017.
Personal Life
In 2019, Lee married Danish tennis player Caroline Wozniacki. Together, they have a daughter named Olivia and a son named James.
Real Estate
In 2017 David bought a condominium in West Hollywood, California for $13.5 million. He actually combined three units to create a 5,500 square foot single apartment that takes up roughly half of a floor. He sold the condo in May 2019 for $11 million, a $3 million loss.
In 2018, Caroline and David paid $13.5 million for a condo at Palazzo Del Sol on the ultra-exclusive Fisher Island in Miami. They sold the condo in February 2021 for $16.25 million. Monthly HOA dues for the condo came to $10,000. In June of 2021 Caroline and David paid $18.7 million for a condo in the same building. This purchase gave them a five-bedroom penthouse spanning 7,000 square feet of living space, not including two terraces. In January 2024 David and Caroline listed their condo for a mouth-water $42.5 million. As insane as that price jump sounds after just two years of ownership, it's actually in-line with comparable recent sales. A larger penthouse in the same building was sold around the time of Caroline and David's listing, for $90 million. They sold this unit in June 2024 for $37 million.
