Lee Lafayette nicknamed “The Tree,” was a 6-foot-6 basketball star at South High (closed in 1968) in the early 1960s who went on to a standout career at Michigan State University and was drafted in 1969 by the then San Francisco Warriors of the NBA.
He was born in Louisiana but grew up in Grand Rapids. He helped his South teams win two City League championships. The 1965 graduate was a two-time All-State selection and scored 54 points in one game in 1964. While he was part of the Trojans program they lost just three City League games, and twice he was named to Class A All-State teams.
At Michigan State he averaged 16.8 points and 10.2 rebounds during his three-year career (freshman could not play on varsity then) as an undersized post player. He was selected All-Big Ten all three seasons, second-team as sophomore and junior, and first-team during after a senior year in which he scored almost 19 points per game. He grabbed a career-high 22 rebounds in a game against Illinois during his sophomore season.
Following his college career Lafayette was selected by San Francisco in the fourth Round of the 1969 NBA Draft, but he never played in the league. As of 2020 he lived in the Lansing area and worked for Child and Family Charities.