Former Florida guard Xaivian Lee announced Wednesday night that he’s committing to Gonzaga. He spent his first three seasons playing for Princeton before joining the Gators last year.
Lee is currently eligible to play for the Bulldogs thanks to a temporary restraining order from a California lawsuit. However, the NCAA is appealing these state rulings, so it’s far from a given that he’ll undoubtedly suit up for Mark Few’s 2026-27 team.
After going undrafted, Lee played for the Cleveland Cavaliers summer league team on an Exhibit 10 deal. He is one of 73 plaintiffs in the California case to be granted a TRO. Those 73 players were part of the Class of 2022 that’s trying to get another year of eligibility since the NCAA passed its new five-for-five rule.
Unfortunately for Class of 2022 members, the NCAA is not instating its new rule until next season.
As a true sophomore at Princeton during the 2023-24 season, Lee started all 29 games and averaged 17.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.0 steals per game. He garnered first-team All-Ivy honors and helped his team earn an NIT bid.
In 2024-25 as a junior, Lee was a first-team All-Ivy selection again after starting all 30 games for the Tigers. He averaged 16.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.2 SPG.
Lee started all 35 games for UF’s squad that earned a #1 seed in the South Region of the 2026 NCAA Tournament. After struggling with his shooting in November and December, Lee started playing much better in SEC play.
In a 98-94 win at 10th-ranked Vanderbilt, Lee had 20 points, six rebounds and two assists without a turnover. With UF trailing 94-92 with 45 seconds remaining and just a few ticks left on the shot clock, Lee drained a 32-foot stepback jumper to give the Gators the lead. They went on to win a 98-94 decision.
Lee scored in double figures in 11 of UF’s last 13 games, including a 22-point effort in a 92-83 home win over Kentucky. He had 10 points and five assists without a turnover in the Gators’ 114-55 win over Prairie View A&M in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
In UF’s crushing 73-72 loss to Iowa in the Round of 32, Lee finished with 17 points, three assists, three rebounds, two turnovers and one steal. He hit 7-of-11 field-goal attempts and 3-of-6 launches from 3-point land.
For the season, Lee averaged 11.6 points, 4.2 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.2 SPG.
FanDuel has Gonzaga with 30/1 odds to win the 2027 NCAA Tournament. Those are the 14th-shortest odds on the board.