The last time Damion Lee played an NBA game, it was May 11, 2023, against the Nuggets, in the playoffs. He therefore did not play the 2023/24 financial year, due to an injury to the meniscus of his right knee contracted during training before the start of the regular season, in October 2023.
The former Warriors thus signed his return during the Phoenix training camp, not without emotion. “I was nervous”, he relates. “I tried to live in the moment as much as possible, to stay in the moment. »
Damion Lee needed help to get through this ordeal
“It’s crazy to see the leap forward we can make”continues the Suns player, who notices, via his posts on Instagram published during his rehabilitation, the path he has traveled. “A month ago, I never would have imagined I would be in the position I am in now. Three months ago, even less. »
Almost a year after his operation (October 10, 2023), Damion Lee also says he consulted a psychologist to face this white season. For him, but also for others.
“I think there are times when, as a man and a black man, in this society, we feel like counseling is not a solution. We go to the hairdresser, it's our therapy. Music and sport are too. But there are ways to get out of your own mind, out of your own head that are necessary and should be encouraged,” he said. “It goes beyond me: I have a wife, two children, I can't afford not to be in a good state of mind. People are counting on me. »
So did the Suns, who happily welcomed his dunks during practice. “The guys said maybe we should stop training because I had just dunked”he laughs.
“I’m so happy for him”comments Kevin Durant. “He's had so many injuries and surgeries in his career, in college and in the NBA. There's something in the character of a man that continues to come to work, every day, when things like this, injuries, happen to you. He's a hard worker, a big competitor. »
Seek your luck
As the younger All-Star recalls, even before his first steps in the NBA, Stephen Curry's brother-in-law had already been seriously injured on numerous occasions: the cruciate ligaments of both knees, a broken hand (twice ) and multiple foot operations.
“I saw some and I’m still standing. This perseverance, this resilience, is faith. You have to believe that it’s possible”he says. “That also comes with not being drafted. Guys like me don't have chances like that. You have to go get them. »
Extended this summer, for one season, therefore free in 2025, Damion Lee is aware that this season is “very important” in his career. “I don’t expect to play 30 minutes per game,” he tempers. “I know my role. When the time comes for me to go, then I will do my best. »
“You can see the joy on his face”remarks, in conclusion, Bradley Beal. “We saw his rehabilitation last year, his concentration, the good days and the bad days. But also his fight, his confidence in himself to overcome all that. It’s exemplary and it shows his character, his courage. »
