Damion Lee shuts down questions about being Warriors teammate Steph Curry's in-law
Damion Lee and Steph Curry are entering their second season as teammates on the Golden State Warriors. They're also beginning their journey as in-laws.
Lee married Sydel Curry, Steph's sister, last September. On Thursday, the third-year guard told the media he wouldn't be entertaining any questions regarding the family dynamic going forward in an effort to keep his personal life out of Golden State's locker room.
"I don't want that to be a crutch that's leaned on for me, saying that 'I'm here because of whatever my family situation is.' I'd just like that to be known," he told reporters.
Last year, Lee said he didn't appreciate coming in after injury and having to answer questions. This was his effort to shut down the talk.
"My name is Damion Lee. It doesn't matter who I'm married to. I played basketball before I've been married to who I am."
Lee began his collegiate career at Drexel and tore his ACL in 2013 and broke his hand to end his 2015 campaign before transferring to Louisville for his final year of eligibility. He went undrafted in the 2016 draft and tore his ACL again later that year.
"I want people to respect me," he said. "I work hard for this (expletive). At the end of the day, I've battled. I'm battle-tested. ... I've gone through a lot of (expletive) during my career to get to this point. I don't want anyone in the media, whether it's here, whether it's across the country, to disrespect me, to disrespect my family, to respective the front office here in Golden State for believing in me, for knowing my abilities, for knowing what I can do.
"I just want to lay that on the line right now. That, going forward this year, there's no family questions, there's no 'What's this? What's that?' At the end of the day, when I'm here in between the lines, my 9-to-5, this is my job. I'm thankful. I'm blessed. I'm healthy. I love my family. Everyone knows I don't have any beef with the media. At the end of the day, there's no family (questions), there's nothing of that sort, because I worked hard to get to this spot where I am."
Lee, 26, is on a two-way deal with the Warriors for a second straight year. He appeared in 32 games and averaged 4.9 points per game. With the G-League Santa Cruz Warriors, he had 20.3 points and 6.0 rebounds over 24 contests.