To say it’s been a wild 18 months for the professional career of Damion Lee would be an understatement.

It was two days before Christmas, 2016 when then Maine Red Claws guard Damion Lee tore his ACL in his left knee and was sidelined for the remainder of the year, just 16 games into the season.

Fresh off a college career out of Louisville, Lee was on a tear of his own, averaging over 18 points a game on 45.3% from 3-point range for Maine and was an early season candidate for a call-up.

Not knowing what the future held for him while he was rehabbing from his knee injury, waiting out for the next opportunity, it was the Santa Cruz Warriors who came calling.

Santa Cruz traded for Lee’s player rights in a three-team deal with the Red Claws and the Agua Caliente Clippers in late August last year, giving Lee a new opportunity and a chance to hit the reset button on his pro career.

It wasn’t until Nov. 10 when Lee made his regular season debut for Santa Cruz in a game that saw him play 15 minutes and score eight points on 3-of-9 from the floor.

The journey had just begun.

Lee is no stranger to ACL tears, having torn the ACL in his other knee (right) in 2013 while playing for Drexel. In a way it was like deja vu for Lee, having to rehab an injury he was all too familiar with. Like Sisyphus rolling the boulder up the hill, only for it to come crashing down once more.

Fast-forward to present day, and Lee finds himself as a cornerstone for Golden State and their G League affiliate, having signed a two-way contract with the team in early July. This of course after being a part of Team USA’s FIBA AmeriCup qualifying squad, as well as a late season NBA call-up courtesy of the Atlanta Hawks.

“It feels good, having that security knowing where I will be for this upcoming season and trying to build off this past season and be a better person and a better player,” Lee told 2 Ways & 10 Days.

This is the pinnacle of Lee’s young career, one that may have come sooner had it not been for such setbacks, but Lee is grateful for the path he’s been set on, including all the misfortune along the way.

“It’s crazy how things come full-circle. When I left here from the Atlanta call-up I didn’t know I was going to be back. I was just excited for my journey,” Lee said. “But everything happens the ways it’s suppose to. So coming back here I’m excited to play in Santa Cruz, play with Golden State and learn from all the players and continue to grow.”

I wouldn’t trade it for anything,” Lee said. “I’m 25 but I feel like I’m 35 because I’m wise beyond my years,” with a delightful grin across his face noting that he feels like he also looks like a 35-year old.

This wasn’t even the plan according to Lee, to find success this quickly. The unassuming guard/forward/Swiss Army Knife didn’t expect a call-up to Atlanta, let alone a spot on Team USA’s roster playing for former NBA head coach Jeff Van Gundy. The plan was to play a full G League season and show NBA teams just how healthy he was and then earn a call-up in his second full season.

While the emotions ran high for Lee as the success snowballed, there was one game Lee mentions when asked about a turning point last season.

“January 28th,” he mentioned among his accomplishments and when he started feeling confident in his abilities once more. In that game he shot a modest 3-of-8 from the field, much like his regular season debut as he continued to get reps.

The next game however, turned the page on Lee’s season. Ironically it came against his former team, the Red Claws.

On Jan. 31, Lee went off for 23 points on 9-of-13 from the field including a 3-of-3 from downtown. The turnaround had begun.

The opportunity to play for Team USA was another opportunity on the road to redemption to prove himself worthy of a call-up.

“(Jeff) Van Gundy’s the man,” Lee said. “I was there for four-or-five days but the time that I spent there I really picked up a lot of small things from them. I heard this saying from Brad Stevens when I was in training camp with the Celtics, ‘Small hinges swing big doors’. That’s something that’s huge trying to get all the details, all the small things and go from there.”

Lee characterized his call-up to Atlanta late in the season as “euphoric”. Everything coming together, the past struggles with injuries, the road to rehab, the return to the floor, the Team USA invite, and ultimately donning an Atlanta Hawks uniform and starting for them late in the season courtesy of former head coach Mike Budenholzer.

But Lee stays humble. He knows that his success on-the-court can only come with the support he received from off it. From the days his mother would travel to be with him while he was on bed rest recovering from surgery, or his then-girlfriend now fiancée, Sydel Curry (younger sister of NBA brothers Steph and Seth) would make the trek to do the same, it all means the world to him.

“The appreciation of what it took to get here, the people that have been there that have supported me,” Lee said. “Just the understanding of what the sacrifice of what other people have done for me to get to be in this position. Just being grateful, I have gratitude and appreciation for them being along with me on this journey.”

This includes Santa Cruz (now Golden State) teammate Quinn Cook, who Lee has known since their AAU days growing up. Cook will serve as an usher at Lee’s upcoming wedding. The pair Facetime two-to-three times a week according to Lee, including a moment when Cook was live on camera at The Basketball Tournament, Lee could see him on TV while they were simultaneously Facetiming.

“My mom would tell me the same thing when I was younger, ‘When people show their true colors, don’t try to repaint them,’” Lee said. “That stuff gets lost when you’re going through it.”

But now with a year under his belt, Lee’s confidence will only grow in the Warriors franchise, on both the NBA and G League side. Despite the two-way contract, however, his role won’t change.

“Last year I was sort of a leader even without the label of being a two-way. It’s just continuing to be myself,” Lee said.

What changes? For one thing, he’ll enjoy the beach more, something he says he didn’t do enough his first season in Santa Cruz despite being a stone’s throw from the ocean. The stress from rehabbing and returning from his ACL injury didn’t afford him that opportunity last year according to Lee.

But the goals for Lee next season are simple: Stay healthy and get better. Have we seen the best from him? Hardly, he’s just getting started.