Former Arizona Wildcats forward Ira Lee suffered a season-ending knee injury and will have to wait until the 2022-23 season to begin his post-UA career.
Lee, who transferred to George Washington of the Atlantic-10 Conference, told the Star on Saturday that he ruptured his patella tendon in his knee playing pickup basketball and will be out for the next eight months.
Bad news: former Arizona forward Ira Lee ruptured his patella tendon (knee) playing pickup and is expected to miss the next 8 months. Lee transferred from UA to George Washington after the 2021 season.
— Justin Spears (@JustinESports) August 14, 2021
The 6-foot-8, 245-pound Lee was a part of Sean Miller's star-studded 2017 class headlined by Phoenix Suns star center Deandre Ayton. Arizona's '17 class also included five-star forward Emmanuel Akot (now at Boise State), BYU star guard Alex Barcello and four-star wing Brandon Randolph, who's a journeyman in the G League.
In four seasons at Arizona, Lee averaged 3.9 points and 3.2 rebounds per game, mostly as a reserve power forward or occasionally a small-ball center.
With Lee medically redshirting this season, he'll have one more year of eligibility as a graduate transfer and will play the following season for the Colonials.