Paul John Dalistan Lee (born February 14, 1989) is a Filipino professional basketball player for the Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He was drafted 2nd overall by Rain or Shine in the 2011 PBA draft.
Early life and education Paul John Lee was born on February 14, 1989, to Edwin Lee and Helen Dalistan. Due to his parents' being unmarried at the time of his birth, his legal surname at birth was his mother's maiden surname, Dalistan. His parents would get married on October of the following year.
Lee was born in Tondo, Manila, to a family of three children. While his paternal ancestors of Chinese roots had a history of being involved in the lumber industry since the 19th century, Lee's family did not inherit much wealth. Paul John's family lived as a lower middle class household, with his father working as a pedicab driver and his mother briefly working as a domestic worker in the Middle East. His family would avoid seeking financial assistance from their other relatives. When Paul needed money, he would work as a pedicab driver, ceramic tile carrier, or as a ball boy at a tennis court.
In grade school, Lee tried different sports such as badminton and baseball. He chose to pursue basketball, as he learned how to play from watching NBA games on TV ever since he was four years old. He learned the game without any formal training. As a young teenager, Lee would already play basketball and join local competitions in Tondo.
Lee would attend high school at the San Sebastian College – Recoletos. He would then move to the University of the East to pursue a college education under a full scholarship.
Amateur career
High school When he was a high school freshman in San Sebastian College – Recoletos, he thought of trying out for their varsity basketball team, but decided not to after seeing how the varsity team players were bigger than him. Although he kept playing basketball, he tried out for other sports as well, such as table tennis, which he played until his third year. He was discovered in his third year when he was playing in the school's intramurals. The coach spotted him, made him try out and placed him in the lineup the following year. His coach and teammates would provide him allowance when he needed it so he could keep practicing with the team. The San Sebastian Staglets would go on to win the NCAA Juniors Championship in his senior year in 2005. He would also make the Mythical Five that year.
College After his high school career ended, Lee accounts that no university team gave him an invitation to play for their team. He would receive an endorsement from the father of his San Sebastian teammate Raphy Reyes to play for the University of the East (UE).
Lee would make the team after impressing then-coach Dindo Pumaren, which at that time had formidable backcourt players like Raffy Reyes, Paul Zamar, James Martinez and Marcy Arellano. He decided to spend a year in UE's Team B. In 2007, he rejoined the main roster. His role during that time was with the second squad. He was known as the 6th man, the main guard off the bench.
In 2009, Lee's game flourished when Lawrence Chongson took over to coach the team. Chongson later became his adviser, and currently an agent, until his death in 2021. Lee first played for him with the Cobra Energy Drink Iron Men in the Philippine Basketball League and later in the PBA Developmental League. In the PBL, he was once awarded as the league's Best Player of the Conference, with averages of 15.1 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.6 steals per game. His play in the PBL led to an improved junior season in which he received the Most Improved Player award in UAAP Season 72 with improved averages of 15.3 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 5.0 assists. They also reached the finals that season.
In his last year in UE, Season 73, Lee was playing through multiple injuries, but he didn't want anybody to know about it. He also played power forward that year. UE did not qualify for the playoffs that season, finishing in sixth. Despite his injuries, he did not miss a game and still made the Mythical Team as UE's top scorer with 14.4 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 2.0 steals. Although he had a year of eligibility remaining, he decided not to return when UE did not renew Chongson's contract, applying for the PBA draft.
In 2014, eight years after he enrolled in UE, Lee graduated with a business degree.
Professional career
Rain or Shine Elasto Painters (2011–2016)
2011–2012: Rookie of the Year
Lee was picked 2nd overall by Rain or Shine during the 2011 PBA draft. He signed a three-year deal with the team. In his PBA debut, a win over Barangay Ginebra during the 2011–12 Philippine Cup, he had 21 points, eight assists, five rebounds, and two steals. He then had 19 points, including two clutch free throws, in a win over the Powerade Tigers. They started the conference winning seven out of their first eight games, including a five-game winning streak that briefly saw Rain or Shine take first place in the standings.
In Game 1 of the quarterfinals against higher-seeded Ginebra, down by as much as 17 points in the third quarter, Lee led a 43-point quarter from Rain or Shine to take the game into overtime and eventually win. They then moved on to the semifinals, where they faced Powerade, led by the player taken ahead of him in the draft, JVee Casio. In Game 1, he scored 22 of his 25 points in the second half to take the opening win. His 25 points were his career-high at the time. In Game 3, he had 19 points, but fouled Gary David as he was taking a three. David made all three free throws, sending the game into overtime which Powerade won. The series went on to last seven games, which Powerade eventually won.
In the Commissioner's Cup, Lee struggled as his averages in points, rebounds, and assists dropped and the team failed to make the playoffs. He then got to play in the RSJ team against the Veterans in the 2012 All-Star Game. In the 2012 Governors' Cup, he started with 17 points, two rebounds and four assists in a 107–100 win over the Alaska Aces. The following game, he had another strong game having recorded 17 points and five rebounds in a 100–94 win over the B-Meg Llamados. He then made a game-winning three-pointer with 2.6 seconds remaining in a win over Ginebra. Rain or Shine finished the elimination round with only one loss. By the end of the 2011–12 PBA season, he was awarded Rookie of the Year, and won his first ever PBA championship with the Elasto Painters, though he did not play in most of the championship series due to a shoulder injury in Game 2.
2012–2013 Lee made his return during the 2012–13 Philippine Cup elimination round with 16 points, four rebounds, and six assists in a win over the Barako Bull Energy. He then had 11 points in a Game 1 win of the quarterfinals against Ginebra. Ginebra then extended that series as although he had 19 points, he shot 5-of-14 from the field. To close out the series, he scored 14 of his 25 points in the third quarter of Game 3 as Rain or Shine moved on to the semifinals against the San Mig Coffee Mixers. In Game 1 of the semifinals, he had 15 points as Rain or Shine took the first win. Although he struggled in Games 4 and 5, he stepped up with 15 points as Rain or Shine made its first finals appearance in the Philippine Cup. In the finals, they lost to the Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters.
In the Commissioner's Cup, Lee had a conference-high 20 points against Barako Bull. He then got to play in the Greats vs. Stalwarts game during the 2013 PBA All-Star Weekend. Although Rain or Shine was second in the standings and had a twice-to-beat advantage in the playoffs, they lost in the first round to Ginebra. During the Governors' Cup playoffs, Rain or Shine made it past the GlobalPort Batang Pier in the first round, but he tore a calf muscle in his right leg, causing him to miss the semifinals.
2013–2014 During the 2013–14 Philippine Cup, Lee made a go-ahead three-point play for a win over the Meralco Bolts. In a win over San Mig Coffee, he scored what was his career-high at the time with 26 points. He followed it up with 20 points against GlobalPort, but missed what could have been the game-winning three-pointer. In the semifinals against the Petron Blaze Boosters, he sprained his ankle in Game 4. He was able to play in Game 5 as Rain or Shine beat Petron 4–1 to made it back to the finals. In the finals, they faced San Mig. In Game 1, on his 25th birthday, he made the game-winning alley-oop lay-up with 0.9 seconds remaining. Rain or Shine would eventually lose in the finals 4–2.
With Gilas, Lee played in the All-Star Game that season. In the Commissioner's Cup, they finished the elimination round with a record of 5–4, good for fourth place. Although they got past Meralco in the first round, he suffered knee and heel injuries during that series. Although he was able to play through them, he struggled throughout the semifinals as they were eliminated by Talk 'N Text. In the Governors' Cup, they reached their fourth straight semifinals, this time against Alaska. In Game 1, he had three turnovers in the fourth quarter which Alaska keyed on to take the win. He then bounced back with 21 points (11 in the fourth quarter) to even the series. To close out the series, he made a clutch lay-up, a clutch steal, and two clutch free throws as Rain or Shine made its second finals appearance that season. Once again, in the finals, they faced San Mig, now seeking a grand slam. They lost in five games in that series.
2014–15 During the 2014 offseason, Lee requested the Rain or Shine management to trade him by personally calling up coach Yeng Guiao. However, Guiao and the Rain or Shine management were firm on keeping him at all costs. After he returned from Spain following his Gilas stint in the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup, he went to a sabbatical by not showing up to Rain or Shine practice or even talking to the media, creating speculations of him pushing through signing up with another team. A few days later, he finally showed up, and after a heart-to-heart talk with Guiao, he finally decided to stay with the Elasto Painters. On September 19, 2014, he, together with his agent Lawrence Chongson, signed a 2-year max deal to stay with Rain or Shine.
In the 2014–15 season opener, Lee hyperextended his knee in the first quarter against the San Miguel Beermen, sitting out the rest of the game. After missing one game, he made his return with 22 points and four rebounds in a win over the Kia Sorento. He then had a season-high 27 points in a comeback win over the NLEX Road Warriors. Rain or Shine finished the elimination round on a seven-game winning streak for a 9–2 record and an automatic slot in the semifinals. In Game 1 of the semifinals against Alaska, he was held to just seven points on 3-of-13 shooting from the field. He then bounced back with 13 points, eight of them in the fourth quarter, as Rain or Shine evened the series. However, Alaska's defense continued to hold him to below his elimination round averages, and they were able to beat Rain or Shine in six games.
Lee started the 2015 Commissioner's Cup with a win over NLEX in which he had 25 points. He matched that point total in their second game, a win over GlobalPort. Once again, Rain or Shine made the semifinals, where they swept Meralco despite him dealing with an ankle injury. In the finals, they faced Talk 'N Text. Once again, Rain or Shine finished as the runner-up for the fourth time in eight conferences as Talk 'N Text took the championship. For the conference, Lee finished in second for the Best Player of the Conference award.