Kansas State finished the 2024-25 season with a solid 28-8 record and a sweet 16 appearance in the NCAA tournament. In a shocking turn of events, star center Ayoka Lee decided to forego the WNBA draft and announced her retirement.
Lee is regarded as arguably the best player in program history. She is Kansas State’s all-time leader in blocks, points, and rebounds.
Why Did Ayoka Lee Quit the Game of Basketball?
On Thursday, Lee put out a statement on her social media, saying that she’s forgoing the draft and exploring life “away from basketball.”
“Words could never fully encapsulate how good God has been to me over the past seven years, and I am so thankful that he wanted me here at K-State,” Lee wrote on Instagram.
“Though I would be doing myself an injustice by not admitting that it came with a lot of obstacles, moments of questioning, and moments of having to endure injuries that made me want to give up.”
Ayoka Lee announces on her Instagram that she will forego the WNBA Draft and explore life away from basketball.
To a phenomenal human being and an incredible career at @KStateWBB… thank you Ayoka Lee. pic.twitter.com/1sHNKa2uro
— Rachel Galligan (@RachGall) April 3, 2025
In her statement, she did explain her reasons for retiring.
“It’s important to listen to what your body whispers to you before it begins to scream at you.” Lee said. Despite being an all-time great, Lee’s time at Kansas was marred with multiple injuries that included her missing two whole seasons with knee issues.
Amidst her injury issues, Lee still had a very memorable time at Kansas State and there are talks of her jersey going up the rafters one day. In her junior season, Lee broke the program single-game scoring record with 43 points in a victory over Central Arkansas.
In 2022, She scored an NCAA-record 61 points in a game against Oklahoma. Lee scored 2,533 career points, making her Kansas State’s all-time leading scorer.
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After seven seasons with the Wildcats, Lee will now step away from basketball and explore other things. She graduated from Kansas State with a degree in psychology and has a master’s in couple and family therapy. She is also currently pursuing a master’s in financial planning.
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