Butch Lee
He smashed a towering barrier, becoming the first Latin American-born player to step onto an NBA court and open the door for a generation.
Born 1956 (age 70)·Puerto Rican basketball player·Birthday: December 5·Baby Boomers
Biography
Born in San Juan, Butch Lee's basketball journey was a trailblazing act of cultural representation. His explosive play at Marquette University, where he led the team to a 1977 NCAA championship and earned Most Outstanding Player honors, was a prelude to a historic moment. In 1978, the Atlanta Hawks drafted him, making Lee the first Puerto Rican and the first athlete born in Latin America to play in the NBA. His professional career, which included a stint with the champion Los Angeles Lakers in 1980, was hampered by injuries, but its significance transcended statistics. Lee's presence in the league was a powerful symbol, proving that the highest level of basketball was within reach for players from the island and beyond, forever altering the sport's demographic landscape.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Butch was born in 1956, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Butch Was Born
The biggest hits of 1956
#1 Movie
The Ten Commandments
Best Picture
Around the World in 80 Days
#1 TV Show
I Love Lucy
Butch's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1956Born
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1961Started school
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1969Became a teenager
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1972Could drive
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1974Could vote
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1977Turned 21
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1986Turned 30
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1996Turned 40
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 50
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2016Turned 60
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2026Turned 70
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Led Marquette University to the 1977 NCAA championship, earning Most Outstanding Player of the tournament.
- Became the first Puerto Rican and first Latin American-born player drafted into the NBA when selected by Atlanta in 1978.
- Won an NBA championship as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers in 1980.
- Inducted into the Puerto Rican Sports Hall of Fame for his pioneering role in basketball.
Did You Know?
He is the cousin of former MLB All-Star catcher Sandy Alomar Jr. and uncle to MLB star Roberto Alomar.
Before his NBA draft, he played for the Puerto Rican national team in international competitions.
His nickname 'Butch' was given to him by his father, who thought he resembled a comic strip character.
“I had to be twice as good to get half the recognition.”
