Lee Shaffer

Lee Philip Shaffer II (born February 23, 1939) is an American former professional basketball player. A 6'7" forward born in Chicago, Shaffer starred at the University of North Carolina, where he was named the ACC Men's Basketball Player of the Year in 1960. He was the fifth selection of the Syracuse Nationals in the 1960 NBA draft, taken after Oscar Robertson (#1) and Jerry West (#2) and ahead of future Hall of Famers Lenny Wilkens (#6) and Satch Sanders (#8). In an era of small NBA salaries, Shaffer and fellow 1960 first-round choice Al Bunge (#7) signed with the AAU instead, and Shaffer played the 1960–61 season with the Cleveland Pipers. He then spent three seasons (1961–1964) in the National Basketball Association with the Philadelphia 76ers franchise. Named an NBA All-Star in 1963, Shaffer compiled career averages of 16.8 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. He retired in 1964 to pursue business opportunities.