Long ago, in a galaxy far, far away, a young Jedi warrior rose from humble beginnings.
The Star Wars version of young Malakai Lee’s life would be fitting. Lee grew up playing football and basketball. An obedient son who stood out from the pack. His parents, Amber and Keola, were busy with work. In fact, his father had two jobs. The second was a part-time position at Hawaiian Airlines.
Often, during his youth, Lee could hardly wait to visit the happiest place on earth.
“Growing up, my family would go to Disneyland at least twice a year. ’Til today, it’s my happy place,” he said.
There are many other destinations he has ventured to. The Kamehameha senior has more than 30 football scholarship offers. He whittled his list down to six schools last spring, including BYU and USC.
“Utah is beautiful,” he lamented.
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Lee trimmed the list to a final four during the summer. The 6-foot-7, 330-pound left tackle made official visits to Alabama, Georgia, Michigan and Texas.
The constant inflow of texts and calls — and frequent visits to campus by college coaches — subsided by this point, but the pressure to select one final school required patience and time. Lee settled on Michigan.
“Last year, it was super stressful,” he said. “Utah, BYU, USC, Oregon came down. Also UCF, Washington. The commitment (to Michigan) really took it off. I still stay in touch with some coaches. I’m in touch with Michigan every week.”
Last night, the Kamehameha Warriors boarded their flight to Portland, Ore., They play West Linn on Friday. On Saturday, the Warriors will be guests as they watch Oregon play Montana State at Autzen Stadium in Eugene. Lee approaches the recruiting process seriously, with a strong sense of care and caution.
“For me, I’m might not go to the (Oregon) game at all. I don’t want to step on anyone’s toes. Out of respect to both parties, I don’t want to go to a game and anyone feel offended,” he said. “If I go, I’ll stay with my team.”
Kamehameha is 1-1 after a win over Farrington and a loss to No. 2 Kahuku. Versatile two-way standout Taimane Purcell will return from injury for the West Linn game. Their balanced offense relies on an efficient offensive line.
Lee provides a mammoth wall of protection for quarterback Mana Borges on the bind side, and the Warriors’ rushing attack counters any defense’s overly aggressive scheme by running past blitzers.
“It’s nice. The big thing for me and for us, don’t take it for granted. These types of players don’t come around every year,” coach Kaeo Drummondo said. “The first thing people see is the great size, but he has great feet. He protects the blind side, and he contributes a lot to our run game. That’s what we want to control, on our terms.”
Length, strength, mobility in one package.
“He can move. We pull him. Sometimes he’s the anchor on the run, or pulling instead of the same thing all the time. He’ll be out on screens, downfield blocking,” Drummondo said. “He’s not like anybody that I’ve coached. The size and his ability to move, to play with that weight, it’s impressive.”
Senior center Elvis Miller is more than a vocal leader. When Lee recovered from a foot injury, he was ready as a sophomore.
“It’s been nice to see him come off his injury. He and Elvis lead our offensive linemen, and they’re a young group,” Drummondo said. “Elvis is a character. He’s fiery and wears that saying on his back plate: “TONE SETTER.” He lives up to it, that’s for sure.”
Lee says Miller is one of one.
“We’ve been playing together for three years now. He’s the funniest when he talks trash. He’s a little on the smaller side, but when it comes to football, he’s a dog. He wants to kill,” Lee said. “Not a lot of people can joke around during a game. He’s encouraging us, trying his hardest to get in the defense’s heads. During practice, he brings a lot of joy to the team because of how funny he is. Cracking jokes, making fun of people.”
The comedic relief is appreciated by Lee. By early letter of intent signing day for football players — Dec. 3 — Lee will have his final sigh of relief.
“That signing day in itself will relieve a lot of stress,” he said.
There were sacrifices. Stepping away from basketball to focus on the gridiron. While many athletes relaxed on Sundays, Lee was often at Brian Derby’s offensive line camp. For the uninitiated, Derby’s prowess as a prominent O-line teacher can involve subtle conversations about technique as well as constant reminders about basic fundamentals at a high volume.
“I love it. He doesn’t treat me any differently, but that’s what got me to where I am today, tough coaching. You’ve got to have one coach who doesn’t care about your status,” Lee said. “He just wants you to get better.”
Derby’s camp sessions were curtailed somewhat, Lee said, after he joined Kahuku’s staff as an assistant coach.
There will be opportunities for a young man with an imagination and work ethic, on the football field and elsewhere. It’s all business for now. Lee has a 3.5 grade-point average, and all his Star Wars gear are a thing of the past.
“I don’t wear those T-shirts anymore. They don’t fit me no more,” says Lee who wears an XXXL.
There will always be more trips to Disneyland and Tomorrowland. They won’t be quite the same without his grandfather, Toby Lee.
“He passed on Jan. 6, 2015, a long time ago. It was a lot for me. Being young, you don’t understand events that are happening. I miss him a lot,” Lee said.
Their favorite time was about good food and lots of laughter.
“He used to make kal bi. He left his recipe over to my dad so my dad still makes it. When I was younger, I loved it. I love my dad’s one, as well, Lee said. “It’s a taste of reminiscing. I miss his humor.”
Everything matters in an age of pressure, achievement and social media. Drummondo puts immense trust in his leaders.
“I just hope Malakai continues to lead this group. He has the stature and in high school, that goes a long way. He understands what his presence brings to the team and the younger guys that look up to him. It comes with a lot of responsibility,” Drummondo said. “The conversation we’ve had since we first met, you’re already a big recruit. The question is what kind of impact do you want to leave on this campus. On the field, execute in our scheme and put it all together as a complete player. Impact your teammates not just from a football perspective, but a leadership perspective. Understand that you don’t have to be the most vocal, but you have to be an example on the team.”
MALAKAI LEE
Kamehameha football, basketball
Senior
Travel history: favorite places
1. California (Disneyland)
2. Sedona (Ariz.)
3. Utah.
Top 3 movies
1. “Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith”
2. “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban”
3. “Ace Ventura Jr.: Pet Detective”
Top 3 shows
1. “Andor.” “It depends on if (viewers) like ‘Star Wars.’ For me, I never thought this show would be good, but you can tell how much time and effort they put into the project. It really surprised me. I’d say both seasons were great. You have a whole lot of character development and perspectives they build in the first season. Second season, they interact with each other.”
2. “Snowfall.” “It’s about a kid from California who’s a drug dealer. He’s 22. I think it’s based on a real story. He had it all, big bucks. It’s exactly like ‘Breaking Bad.’ This show is not for little kids.”
3. “Loki.” “I’m a huge Marvel fan. Loki was one of the best shows that Disney put out on a Marvel character. Loki was a redemption arc since he was known as a bad guy. In the show, he was a good guy. Growing up, it’s always Thor against his brother, the bad guy, but when you watch the show you can see he’s a misunderstood character trying to fit in.”
Books
1. The Harry Potter Series
2. “To Kill a Mockingbird”
3. “The Giving Tree”
Top 3 homemade food
1. Mom (Amber Lee)’s butter chicken and naan bread. “I tried making this once. My speciality is steak and eggs.”
2. Dad (Keola)’s chicken piccata. “It’s a cream sauce (white wine, butter, capers).“
3. Grandpa (Toby Lee)’s kal bi.
Top 3 music artists/favorite song
1. Drake: “Not You Too”
2. Kanye West: “Ghost Town”
3. Travis Scott:: “Oh My Dis Side”
“I’m just a huge fan of all three of them. I don’t play sides.”
Favorite team: Pittsburgh Steelers
“My uncle, Chris Fuamatu-Ma‘afala, played for them. Tenari (Fuamatu-Ma‘afala, Saint Louis running back) is my cousin.”
Favorite athlete: Penei Sewell, Detroit Lions RT
“By watching his film, I notice his speed and strength. Raw power. He can get up to a level-two block and drive the guy. He imposes his will. Being Polynesian and seeing that kind of player, that’s inspiring. I love how violent he plays.”
Funniest teammate: Elvis Miller
Smartest teammate: Taimane Purcell
GPA (cumulative): 3.5
Favorite teacher: “I have so many at KS, I can’t choose one. I love them all. They’ve all supported me and helped me through the years.”
Favorite class: Freshman Seminar.
“It’s an introduction to what to expect going to Kamehameha, going to college. It was really an eye-opener class for me. It’s probably one of the most useful classes. You plan out what you want to do for the next four years.”
Favorite scripture: “And Christ hath said: If ye will have faith in me ye shall have power to do whatsoever thing is expedient in me.”
—Moroni 7:33
“For me, since I’m religious, I have faith in everything. Playing football. Playing basketball. In school. It relieves the pressure of the world off me. In a game and you get down on yourself, not in your right head, you can always say a prayer to have faith in Christ. I make it a pact to pray before a game for extra protection and guidance. It’s a lock-in for me. I’m already locking in for the whole day, but I’ll lock in again and I’m ready to go. It’s giving me extra strength.
Bucket list: a cruise around Europe or a Disney cruise. I haven’t been anywhere out of the country. Samoa, Tonga. In the US I visited a lot places I liked.”
Time machine: When and where would you travel?
“I’d go back in time and spend it with my grandpa (Toby Lee) and coach Matt (Faga). Coach Matt was a super big person with a big heart. I saw him as a second father figure almost. He took me in and trained me. That was it. All you do, work. When you work with someone for that long, I think we trained with him for three years, you get to know them so well. I still have a lot of memories of him being the funniest person ever, when we’re dying doing drills, of course. Those are the times I remember. He’s making fun of us running hills and he’s laughing his head off. Or running in mud and you slip. He would yell, ‘Sniper!’ I really miss him. He was a great person overall. He helped develop me. I wear 55 today because of him.”
Youth sports
Football: Metro Tigers, Southpac Wolves, Harbor Area Pilots (Los Angeles), Ruthless.
Basketball: Hoops for Christ.
If you could go back in time, what would you tell your younger self?
“I would tell myself to buy bitcoin when it was less than a penny, I would also say continue to keep grinding and remember to pray.”
Shoutouts
“There are so many people that have helped me along in my journey, mainly my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, my parents, my siblings, my family. Shout out to my coaches that have taken the time to work with me over the years, and teammates that I have played with. Thank you for all for making me better player and person.”