Former St. John's Guard Lee Green Dies Of Coronavirus At Age 49
(CBSNewYork)- The state of New York has been one of the hardest hit areas by the coronavirus pandemic in the United States. While Governor Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio are doing all they can to keep citizens safe, the virus has continued to spread and, in the process claim lives.
One of the casualties of the virus on Monday was former St. John's basketball player Lee Green. According to the New York Post, Green died Monday at the age of 49 after contracting COVID-19. Green isn't believed to have had any pre-existing medical conditions and, according to the Post, he contracted the disease at an event that he DJ'ed in the past few weeks.
A Bronx native, Green played for St. John's from 1991-94 and was known for his defensive abilities.
"He was our defensive lockdown guy," St. John's director of sports medicine and longtime head trainer Ron Linfonte said to the Post. "He could score if he needed to. He was one of the guys who really relished the role of 'Give me your best player and I'll lock him down.' He sacrificed his offense a lot for the good of the team, and he was everybody's favorite."
After his basketball career, Green served as a police officer before retiring to Brooklyn and spent his time DJ'ing. Green's friend, Sterling Nunnally, told the Post that when he last saw Green, the 49-year-old had been healthy and smiling, so he was shocked to hear that he had died.
"It's crazy," said Sterling Nunnally, a St. John's alum and friend of Green's. "He was healthy and smiling and everything [when I saw him recently]."
