When a 13-year-old Xaivian Lee attended his first March Madness game between Notre Dame and Princeton, his resolve became clearer. A fan of Princeton since he was young, Xaivian grew up in a household where academics outweighed sport. “Good person, good student, good athlete” is how his mother describes it. While that game in Buffalo, N.Y. was probably the first time his mother realized it could be a possibility her son does play here, his 5-goot-7 stature was not going to attract many recruiters.
“In terms of the recruiting circuit, you have an Asian kid who’s 170 pounds. So he gets judged differently in that little bubble,” Cordell Lewellyn, a Canadian former basketball player who ultimately helped Lee get to Princeton, says. “It’s all the negatives about basketball that sometimes people don’t look at or challenge.”
Aware of his natural shortcomings, he knew his dream to go to the NBA would not come easy. He continued developing his craft over an undersized guard he idolized, Fred VanVleet, who played for his beloved Raptors. Ignoring the noise, he began his climb up a steep mountain.
“Being doubted has kind of been like a common thing my entire life,” Lee says. “Every single level I’ve gone to, there’s always been doubts if I could play at that level and if I can get to the next level.” While he did fulfill his dream of heading to Princeton, it was the only D1 offer coming out of the Toronto area he’d received, reminding Lee this was just the first step of proving his doubters wrong. When he moved to Florida in the 2025 transfer portal, he may have just done that.
But how have a few crucial aspects of his life played a role in his journey till here?
What is Xaivian Lee’s ethnic background?
Xaivian Lee’s ethnicity is made up of two diverse halves. His mother is originally from South Korea while his dad, is Daniel Bernstein, a resident of Toronto. Although Daniel’s ethnicity isn’t confirmed, his surname ‘Bernstein’ is typically a Jewish last name. The speculation further strengthens when we pay attention to the ethnicity statistics of the country. Canada’s Jewish population continues to grow slowly. In 2023, an estimated 404,400 individuals living in Canada identified as Jewish by religion or identified as having no religion but as Jewish by ethnicity or culture. About 80% of Canada’s Jews live in Quebec and Ontario (69% in Montreal and Toronto alone).
His ethnicity makes him a minority, especially in basketball and the NBA. Realizing the challenge, he takes it head-on as he attempts to be the first Korean-Canadian in NBA history. His exceptional skills as a hooper have earned him the nickname Korean Fried Chicken because, according to one viral TikTok, “he’s an absolute bucket.” Lee’s documentary, “Leesanity”, is also a nod to fellow Asian hooper, Jeremy Lin, who enjoyed a stint with the Knicks where he was an absolute phenom, leading to one of the coldest nicknames in the game, Linsanity.
What is Xaivian Lee’s nationality, and how does it relate to his ethnicity?
Xaivian has a dual nationality as he is a Canadian-American citizen. Since Xaivian was born in Toronto to a father who was also a Canadian national, the only possible explanation for his American half comes from his mother’s side who lived in Brooklyn, New York, for a significant period. This cannot be confirmed, however, as her nationality has not been mentioned on the web.
Lee has also represented Canada at the international level. He spent the summer of 2023 playing for the Canadian National U-19 team in Europe, eventually playing in the FIBA world cup. Against all expectations, including his own, Lee turned into the highest scorer on the team while also assuming the primary playmaking role.
His ethnic background continues to garner great support for him, supporting one of their own in a sport where they’re seldom the center of attention. When Princeton won at Columbia in January of last year, the stands in Levien Gymnasium were populated in part by local fans of Asian descent who were there just to root for him. Talk about stardom.
What religion does Xaivian Lee follow, if any?
Xaivian is a devoted Christian which is evident in his documentary “Kaizen” where he gives a tour of his room. During this tour, he shows a blackboard in his room which has various things on it from his goals and progress to verses from the Bible. He shares his favorite verse, Galatians 6:9, which reads “Let us not grow tired of doing good, for in due time we shall reap our harvest, if we do not give up.” This further showcases the resolve and resilience Xaivian has displayed to reach his dreams. “I read it sometimes before I go out for the day,” said Xaivian sharing the significance of his board.
The post What Is Xaivian Lee’s Ethnicity and Religion? Exploring His Korean Roots, Multicultural Background, and Faith appeared first on EssentiallySports.
