Slain Basketball Player Was 'Still Chasing His Dream To Last Dying Days,' Coach Says
WILLOWBROOK (CBSLA.com) — Authorities on Tuesday night were trying to track down those suspected of killing a local basketball player who had dreams of making it to the NBA.
Known for his big personality on and off the court, Wendell Lee was shot and killed in Willowbrook late Monday night.
"He was a tremendous shooter. He was an All-Conference player. Everyone in the gym would go, 'Wendell Lee for 3' and he'd go like that, and that big old smile would come," Tony Barbone, the athletic director for Pasadena City College, said.
Barbone was athletic director at El Camino College when Lee played there in 2010.
Word of Lee's slaying took his breath away.
"Tears came to my eyes. Whoa. Those of us who work with young people, this is the last thing we want to hear," he said.
A memorial sits in the spot where Lee was killed. He was shot multiple times in the chest, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
Lee was standing on Elva Avenue near 123rd Street when a vehicle approached. Deputies say an African American man got out of the backseat and fired. The driver sped away.
Former classmates, teammates and coaches are using social media to spread their memories and thoughts of Lee.
One person wrote: "Tough day. RIP Wendell Lee. Loved coaching and being around him."
"Wendell was still chasing his dream to his last dying days," Barbone said.
The 25-year-old recently graduated from Colorado State University with a degree in exercise science. (Editor's note: a previous version of this article stated Lee was 23 years old.)
He moved back to Los Angeles and was trying out for the D-Fenders, an NBA development league owned by the Lakers.
He leaves behind five siblings and his parents.
Anyone with more information about this case was asked to call the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
