Name: David Lee

Team: New York Knicks

Position: Centre

NBA Statistics: 20.4 (points), 11.6 (rebounds), 3.5 (assists)

Background: Though a natural left-hander, an unfortunate injury forced him to learn to master the use of his right hand, making him ambidextrous. Drafted as the 30th overall pick by the New York Knicks of the 2005 NBA draft, David Lee has improved vastly ever since.

His seasonal progress has been one of the best in recent times. In his second season with the Knicks he took first place in the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge and commandingly led the Sophomores to a comfortable win, claiming 30 points and 11 rebounds. His performance allowed him to claim the MVP title.

In the 2008-2009 season he showed maturity and improved talent en route to a 37 point-21 rebound game, becoming the first Knicks player to achieve such a feat since Patrick Ewing achieved it over a decade before. A year after, he became only the 11th player in Knicks history to claim 10 consecutive double-doubles.

The 2009-2010 season thus far has also been good for Lee, with his statistics (listed above) putting in pole position to capitalise on Allen Iverson’s injury and earn him an All-Star call-up. He is the first Knicks player to represent the franchise since the 2001 All-Star game.

While a huge presence on the hard-court, David Lee has also been active on-screen, but away from his Knicks uniform, appearing in three different television shows.