In January, Lee won his fifth Malaysia Masters title. In March, Lee lost in the first round of All England Open, and also in the second round of the India Open.

In April, Lee won his 11th Malaysia Open title, then followed by his second Badminton Asia Championships title. At the Thomas Cup in May, Malaysia lost to eventual winners Denmark in the semi-finals despite Lee winning all the matches he contested in the tournament.

In June, Lee won his 6th and record-equaling Indonesia Open title, becoming the third shuttler and first non-Indonesian to win the title six times. He was set to play in the Australian Open, but withdrew due to muscle injury.

On 5 August 2016, Lee led the Malaysia contingent during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games. In the men's singles competition he made it to the final, defeating his longtime rival Lin Dan in the semifinals in a dominating performance. However, he was defeated by Chen Long in the final, his third successive defeat in the final of the Olympic Games.

2014[edit]
2016[edit]
2015[edit]
2011[edit]