He has your back, Phoenix.
Suns guard Saben Lee, who graduated from Corona del Sol High in 2017 and played at Vanderbilt, proudly embraces his south Phoenix roots, and a spectacular tattoo stretching shoulder to shoulder across his own back leaves no doubt.
While adversity is a popular descriptor in stories about Lee’s past decade in basketball, a conversation with the 23-year-old makes it clear that Lee won’t be using that word to define his journey.
Calm, bright and eager to embrace challenges, Lee has carried an infectious positivity on the way to signing a two-way contract with the Suns in February.
“I never really knew how it was gonna happen,” Lee told Suns.com this month. “My dream was always to make it to the NBA.”
He couldn’t have imagined the circuitous route he’d take, “but I figured it was gonna happen.”
Dad, it turns out, really did know best
When Amp Lee, Saben’s dad, was growing up one of 13 kids in Florida panhandle town of Chipley, a little more than 80 miles west of Tallahassee, his competitive streak was bursting at the seams.
A standout athlete, Amp Lee became a star running back at Florida State in the early 1990s and played eight seasons in the NFL – he caught the final touchdown pass of Joe Montana’s run with the San Francisco 49ers.
But basketball was his true love, and when he and then-wife Natalie welcomed Saben, the sharing began.
“God is unbelievable,” Amp Lee told Suns.com Friday (March 17), “Because I was like, ‘I hope this little dude loves basketball as much as I do.’ And now to have him playing professional basketball, God’s been unbelievably good to me.”
And Amp Lee certainly loves basketball.
“When I show up at those heavenly gates, man, I’m gonna have a pair of Jordans on and a basketball in my arm,” he said.
Father and son agree, there was never any pressure from Amp for Saben to play basketball. Amp encouraged Saben’s interests – even if that altruism didn’t always register with the young man.
“My dad just wanted what’s best for me,” Saben said. “But it’s hard to see when you’re a little kid.
“But now lookin at it? No, my dad knew what he was talking about.”
A Suns guard with a ‘flat-line’ personality
Amp Lee, from his base in Phoenix, has coached on the AAU basketball circuit for years – a good chunk of that time was spent with his trusted wingman, Saben.
A coaching colleague on the circuit, John Ortega, remembers vividly seeing the Lees at games and workouts.
“I’ve known Amp forever,” said Ortega, the owner of the PHHacility basketball complex and head coach of the AZ Select program. “He always had little Saben. … He was this little, big-headed kid. He was quick but there was nothing about him – outside of his toughness.”
That toughness has meshed comfortably with Saben’s businesslike approach to life and learning – again from as far back as he can recall.
“I definitely wanted to always be around my dad when he was coaching, training, anything,” Saben said. “I always wanted to be there for sure. … I always wanted to be in the gym. If my dad’s training someone, I would just be sitting there watching what’s going on.
“So just kind of being a sponge just learning, being around the game.”
Saben’s framed jersey is displayed at Ortega’s court, and his legacy often serves as a touchpoint for mentoring current players.
“Every summer since Saben been drafted,” Ortega said, “we select one player who represents Saben the most.
“The guy we don’t have to worry about (whether) he’s gonna show up today and give us his all.”
Amp Lee certainly recognized Saben’s cool approach.
“I want him to be him,” Amp said. “I tell him all the time, ‘Be Saben.’
“He’s flatline most of the time – smile on his face every day – his demeanor is rock solid. I’ve never had anything to drink or smoke; he doesn’t.”
‘He just blew up’
During his high school years, as Saben was carving his niche with the perennial state champion contenders, he gained size and confidence – but there were hurdles ahead.
“Saben was always an afterthought,” said Ortega, who began coaching Saben on the summer league circuit when Amp “wanted to step back and be a dad a little bit.”
Amp watched the tryouts, after which Ortega decided Saben wouldn’t make his top team.
“At his own school, he wasn’t called up to varsity until halfway through his sophomore year,” Ortega said. “He spent his whole time at Corona del Sol in the shadow of guys before him like Casey Benson (who played at the University of Oregon) – and guys in his own class like Alex Barcello (BYU and the University of Arizona).”
But it wasn’t long before Saben emerged from those shadows.
“He played on our second team and quickly became the best player on that team,” Ortega said.
That “in-control” version complements the aggressive leadership of an alpha male.
Ortega had seven future Division I players on his elite team.
“And I had to find a point guard to come in and be able to hold them accountable and run the offense – and deal with them,” Ortega said.
“I ended up picking Saben, who was a year younger, because of his leadership ability. …
“Saben was gonna take that role as a sophomore. And he wasn’t gonna take any shit from them.”
The career path was accelerating.
“Once he got on to our top team he kind of just exploded,” Ortega said. “He played alongside Mitch Lightfoot (Kansas University), Cameron Satterwhite (Loyola Chicago and Northern Arizona) and those guys.
“He just blew up.”
Perhaps the biggest explosive moment came in a tournament in California when Lee slammed home an inbound lob pass, stole the ball on the ensuing possession and finished in style.
Ortega: “He gets a steal, and he takes off and cocks it back and just throws down this monster dunk. Before we left the gym that day, he had offers to LMU, Pepperdine, Southern Utah. … He had like eight offers after one game. It just kinda took off.”
Vanderbilt and beyond
The big offers snowballed.
“My first offer was from Northern Colorado and I was ecstatic,” Saben said. “They just started to keep coming in. Offer after offer.
“I was a late bloomer, so I got all my offers in my last AAU session.”
One big one caught his eye.
“I think one of his first high major offers was Florida State,” Ortega said, “where his dad literally has his head in a bronze statue.”
The younger Lee wasn’t overly enamored of the Florida State option; he’d be considered a “little Amp” in some respects.
“He turned around and went to Vanderbilt,” Ortega said. “I’m like, ‘Well, now you’re little Natalie (Mom’s school).’
“He’s like, ‘It’s a little different when Mom gets a law degree from there, and Dad scored like 60 touchdowns.”
Although Saben found more shadows at Vanderbilt – future NBA players Darius Garland and Aaron Nesmith – he persevered and became a standout by his junior season, his last one at Vandy.
Landing in Phoenix
Just like Amp in the NFL, Saben was a second-round draft pick.
He played 85 games for the Detroit Pistons, two with the Philadelphia 76ers and for Toronto’s G-League team before his big opportunity with the Suns.
Upon signing his two-way deal in February, Lee stayed true to his personality as he walked to the court.
It wasn’t overwhelming.
“It was more, ‘Let’s do this,’” said Lee, who was known in his AAU days for repeatedly pushing teammates with his “Get serious!” mantra. “When you get to the gym and suit up, it’s business time.
“I definitely took a while to reminisce about it. Be in the moment and think about everything that’s happened. But come game time, I was locked in.”
And this turn of events is oh, so positive for father and son.
“I love the team that he’s with,” Amp Lee said. “I love the staff, love the personnel, and love the roster. I don’t know that I could have driven him to a better gym.”
Since joining the Suns, Saben has tried to apply the lessons learned. He strung together four consecutive games of double-digits scoring, and uses teammates Josh Okogie and, of course, Chris Paul as sounding boards.
"He's been good for us," Suns coach Monty Williams said when Lee signed his two-way contract at the outset of February. "He understands where he is. He's trying to find a home in the NBA and he's done a good job for us.
“He's a diligent worker. He's always ready. His minutes haven't been consistent, but when he's out there, he's been a benefit to the team."
Dad marvels at the serendipity of Saben’s trek.
“We used to watch a lot of film of CP (Paul),” Amp said. “We’d go in the gym and do drills and we’d see, ‘Right here, come off the screen, see how CP set the guy up? He’s snakin’ off, he’s shooting the elbow pull-up …”
“Chris Paul is probably the best guard in the history of the game in terms of understanding pace: when to go fast, when to go slow, his understanding of pick and roll in addition to his skill. Some of that can rub off on Saben.”
The Suns’ position among the leading contenders to reach this year’s NBA Finals has served to elevate Saben’s basketball education.
“He’s got a great mentor in Chris Paul,” Amp said. “And he’s in probably the most competitive gym in the league.”
The signature ink
Saben’s decision to add the Phoenix tattoo came years ago, so his arrival with the Suns is all the more appropriate.
“I got it in Phoenix, an artist called Josh (Noel),” Saben said. “He did Gervonta Davis, did some of Deandre’s (Ayton).”
The inspiration for Saben’s artwork came from champion boxer Davis, who has Baltimore on his back.
“I grew up in south Phoenix, and I say that pridefully,” Saben said. “Growing up in south Phoenix, I see a lot of kids who have a lot of talent and might not have the opportunity or the means to be able to get to where they want to get to. And I wanna be able to give back to those communities one day.
“I have that on my back because wherever I go out, I’m always repping Phoenix. So that was kinda the inspiration for that.
“And now, it’s crazy, I’m with the Phoenix Suns. Everyone would be like, ‘Bro, did you…’ and I’m like, ‘No, I’ve had this a while before this.’”
And Amp, a guy who is no prototypical dad?
“I’m not a big tat person, to be honest,” he said. “There’s always a little bit of a fine line; they’re your kids but they’re becoming young men.
“If the only thing against him is he’s got tattoos and he’s trying to improve his jump shot, well, life could be crazier than that.”
For Saben Lee, a young man with a carefully crafted set of skills, it’s not a crazy thought to imagine a long career in professional basketball.