With the support of his older brother, former American Major League player Leron Lee, who was playing for the Lotte Orions, a Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) team, Leon was able to make the move to Japan.
[3] Lee played five seasons alongside his older brother, hitting 41 home runs, 116 RBIs, with a .340 batting average in 1980.
[4] Lee was traded to the Yokohama Taiyo Whales, as the Orions were targeting to get closer Steve Shirley, where he played from 1983 to 1985.
In February 2004, Lee was hired to manage the Brooklyn Cyclones, a Class-A New York Mets minor-league affiliate.
On April 8, he was arrested for indecent exposure in a hotel after seeking to quiet a noisy late-night crowd that was disturbing his team.