Lee played basketball for Byron High School in Byron, Minnesota.[1] In her sophomore season, she averaged 24.6 points, 13.8 rebounds and 4.5 blocks per game and was named to the Class 3A All-State team. As a junior, Lee averaged 24.9 points, 16.4 rebounds and 4.1 blocks per game, repeating as a Class 3A All-State selection.[2] In her senior season, she averaged 26.6 points, 15.7 rebounds and 5.5 blocks per game.[3] She scored a school-record 54 points against Cotter High School during the Section 1AA tournament.[4] Lee tore her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) during the state tournament.[1] She earned Class 2A All-State honors and was a finalist for the Minnesota Miss Basketball award.[5] Lee set career and single-season program records for points, rebounds and field goal percentage.[6] In high school, she also competed in volleyball for three years and track and field for two years at the varsity level.[3] A three-star recruit, she committed to playing college basketball for Kansas State.[7]
College career
Lee redshirted her first season at Kansas State to rehabilitate from her torn ACL and was a part of the practice squad.[5][8] On January 25, 2020, she recorded 23 points, 20 rebounds and five blocks in a 92–74 win against Oklahoma, the first 20-point, 20-rebound game in program history.[9] On February 16, she matched her season-high of 24 points while recording 13 rebounds, four blocks and three steals in an 87–85 win against Oklahoma.[10] As a freshman, Lee averaged 15.7 points, 11.4 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game, earning first-team All-Big 12 and Freshman of the Year recognition.[11] She set the conference record by winning the Big 12 Freshman of the Week award 12 times.[12] On January 31, 2021, Lee posted a sophomore season-high 37 points and 18 rebounds in an 80–70 loss to Oklahoma, scoring the most points by a Kansas State player during a Big 12 game.[13] She averaged 19.1 points, 8.7 rebounds and two blocks per game as a sophomore and was named first-team All-Big 12 for a second time.[14]
In her junior season debut on November 9, 2021, Lee broke the program single-game scoring record with 43 points, nine rebounds, four blocks and three steals in a 103–40 victory over Central Arkansas.[15] On December 11, Lee posted 38 points, 14 rebounds and six blocks in a 79–73 win against South Dakota State.[16] On January 11, 2021, she had 38 points and 11 rebounds in a 73–70 loss to Iowa State.[17] On January 23, Lee set the NCAA Division I women's single-game scoring record with 61 points in a 94–65 win over Oklahoma. During the game, she also had 12 rebounds and three blocks.[18] As a junior, Lee averaged 22 points, 10.3 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game. She earned her third consecutive first-team All-Big 12 selection and was named a second-team All-American by the Associated Press and the United States Basketball Writers Association.[19] Lee opted to return to Kansas State instead of entering the 2022 WNBA draft but was sidelined for the season after undergoing knee surgery.[20][21]