Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1541990
4 2 J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 6 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M P hiladelphia native Tony Carr, 28, is now playing in Lebanon after ear- lier stops in Italy, Russia, Canada, Denmark, Israel, Kuwait, Bahrain and in the NBA G League. Houston native Tim Frazier, 35, spent last season in Israel after suiting up in France and Greece and for several years in the NBA. And Greg Lee, 27, who began his pro basketball sojourn in Portugal, is with a club in France this season after excelling in the Czech Republic and Hungary. While the NBA was and is the goal, many former Nittany Lions have fash- ioned productive careers overseas as pro players. There is money to be made outside of the NBA's frontiers, with top leagues in western Europe such as Italy, France and Spain paying former North Americans with an NCAA résumé easily in the six-figure range while providing the free use of an apartment, transporta- tion and a meal allowance. Lee endured an injury-plagued 2021- 22 season with the Nittany Lions, which curtailed any chance to work out for NBA teams after he concluded his college ca- reer. "I had a couple of workouts with NBA teams before the draft, but I had surgery on my ankle. I kind of missed my op- portunity," Lee said in a phone interview from France. "But I knew I wanted to play pro ball." And he has. The 6-foot-9 forward from Rockford, Ill., averaged at least 14 points per contest in Portugal, the Czech Republic and Hungary, paving the way for him to join a club this season located less than two hours from Paris in Le Por- tel, a small seaside community in the far A World Away Former Penn State basketball stars find success overseas DAV I D D R I V E R | B L U E W H I T E C O N T R I B U T O R Forward Greg Lee has played in Portugal, the Czech Republic, Hungary and France since wrapping up his college career at Penn State in 2022. He averaged 6.4 points and 4.0 rebounds in his lone season with the Nittany Lions. PHOTO COURTESY GREG LEE