Saben Lee completes his move from Olympiacos to Efes
· EurohoopsThe anticipated switch from Olympiacos to Anadolu Efes for 26-year-old Saben Lee
By Stavros Barbarousis/ info@eurohoops.net
Saben Lee joined Anadolu Efes on Monday, confirming an earlier Eurohoops report on reaching a deal to complete his move from Olympiacos.
Per the press release: “We have signed American player Saben Lee, who previously played for Greece’s Olympiacos, to a contract until the end of the season. Born in 1999, Lee is 1.88 meters tall and plays at the guard position.
Graduating from Vanderbilt University in 2020, Saben Lee signed his first professional contract with the Detroit Pistons of the NBA on a two-year deal. In the 2021-22 season, he also played for the G-League team Motor City Cruise and in the 2022-23 season he signed with another NBA team, the Philadelphia 76ers. That same season, he appeared for the G-League team Delaware Blue Coats and in December 2022 he headed to Canada to join another G-League team, Raptors 905 Mississauga. In January 2023, he returned to the United States to join the Phoenix Suns in the NBA. After spending two seasons there, Lee made his first overseas transfer to Turkey, signing with Manisa Basket of the Türkiye Sigorta Basketball Super League. During the season, he moved to Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv before returning once again to Manisa. In February 2025, he joined Olympiacos in Greece.
Saben Lee earned Second Team All-SEC honors in the NCAA during the 2019-20 season. In the 2021-22 season, he averaged 28.5 points per game, ranking first in this category in the G-League. Last season, he celebrated both the Greek League Championship and the Greek Cup title with Olympiacos.
This season in the Greek League, Lee played in 10 games, averaging 18:20 minutes, with 10.2 points, 1.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game.
In the EuroLeague, the American guard appeared in 11 games, averaging 11:24 minutes, with 3.4 points, 0.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game.”
Efes is expected to cover his current contract for the remainder of the 2025-26 season, as reported earlier Monday.
The 26-year-old combo guard is staying in the EuroLeague, looking to bounce back from an uneventful spell with the Greek side.
This season in Europe’s premier club competition, he tallied 3.4 points, 1.4 assists, 0.4 steals, 0.4 rebounds, and 0.1 blocks per contest over 11 appearances, all off the bench. Between the Reds and his earlier spell with Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv, he is a veteran of 32 appearances. Earlier in his career, he made his way to 134 NBA games with the Detroit Pistons, Phoenix Suns, and Philadelphia 76ers.
Since joining the team coached by Giorgos Bartzokas last February, his efforts were rewarded with domestic titles in the 2024-25 Stoiximan GBL championship and the 2025 Super Cup. Logging ten games played in the ongoing edition of the Greek League, he averaged 10.2 points, 2.9 assists, 1.7 rebounds, 0.4 steals, and 0.3 blocks per contest.
From Olympiacos to Efes, Pablo Laso’s side is seeking a way back in the postseason picture of the EuroLeague. Currently sitting 6-12, the distance from the Play-In Showdown zone is four games. Meanwhile, a 7-6 record in the Turkiye Sigorta Basketbol Super Ligi is tied for sixth, six games away from undefeated leader Besiktas GAIN.
With two games in the Turkcell Basketball Development Center this week, his new team hosts Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet in EuroLeague Round 19 on Friday and Mersin Spor in BSL Round 14 on Sunday.