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Lee Montgomery

By NWBA, 08/02/17, 2:30PM CDT

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Lee Montgomery began his basketball career in 1977 as a member of the Columbus Buckeye Wheelers where he was mentored by Hall of Fame coach Gary Blosser. In 1978 Lee joined the Grand Rapids Pacers and began a storied 18-year run as point guard of the Pacers. His best year came in 1987. After being named MVP of the Mid-West Sectional, Lee led the Pacers to their first and only Final Four appearance. And what a tournament he had. The first semi-final game pitted the undersized, underdog Pacers against the mighty Dallas Mavericks. The game see-sawed back and forth until the final 30 seconds when Montgomery hit a clutch 3-pointer from the top of the key to put the Pacers ahead by two 55-53. With 0:05 left in regulation, Ron LaBar of Dallas pulled on his wheel as the buzzer went off, however LaBar got off a 15-foot bank shot and the referee counted the basket invoking a controversial continuation rule. Undeterred, the Pacers regrouped and outscored the Mavericks 4-2 in OT with Montgomery hitting 15-footer as time ran out. 

In the final, the Pacers faced the might Silver Streaks of Toledo featuring their front line led by Hall of Famer Darryl Waller and Ted Chatman…the ‘Twin Towers”. At the end of regulation the score was once again tied 49-49 with the Pacers being led by Montgomery’s 14 points. In OT the game came down to 0:36 on clock when Montgomery drained a 3-pointer giving the Pacers a 57-54 lead. Waller scored 2 but time ran out on Toledo as the Pacers won their first and only National Championship 57-56. Montgomery actually hit three game winning shots in two games. 

Montgomery’s career continued internationally as a member of the 1990 Pan Am Team. He was the first wheelchair athlete inducted into the Grand Rapids Hall of Fame in 2006. Lee never retired from the game and continues to serve as an administrator and coach of Grand Rapids Junior Pacers. Today, he sits on the Board of Directors for the NWBA. His personal fabric and leadership was to make a difference in the lives of the Jr. Wheelchair Athletes he worked with. But Lee will always be remembered as one of the smartest, competitive, strongest point guards who was one of the game’s best clutch shooter who played defense on the bigs.