Javale McGee, who had been a finalist for the Team USA roster, will report to the team in Las Vegas on Saturday.
Javale is a three-time NBA Champion, winning two rings with the Golden State Warriors and also winning the title with the Lakers in the Orlando bubble last season. Standing at 7-feet tall he provides great length and rim protection, which will allow Durant to roam and average 50pts per contest for the U.S.
The three-time NBA champion is prepared for the Olympic experience, and should have been selected to the initial roster.
JaVale McGee
.jpg) McGee in 2018
|
|
| No. 34 – Denver Nuggets | |
|---|---|
| Position | Center |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | January 19, 1988 Flint, Michigan |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) |
| Listed weight | 270 lb (122 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school |
|
| College | Nevada (2006–2008) |
| NBA draft | 2008 / Round: 1 / Pick: 18th overall |
| Selected by the Washington Wizards | |
| Playing career | 2008–present |
| Career history | |
| 2008–2012 | Washington Wizards |
| 2012–2015 | Denver Nuggets |
| 2015 | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 2015–2016 | Dallas Mavericks |
| 2016–2018 | Golden State Warriors |
| 2018–2020 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 2020–2021 | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 2021–present | Denver Nuggets |
| Career highlights and awards | |
|
|
Stats  |
|
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
JaVale Lindy McGee (born January 19, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Nevada Wolf Pack. He was selected 18th overall by the Washington Wizards in the 2008 NBA draft. He is a three-time NBA champion, having won consecutive titles with the Golden State Warriors in 2017 and 2018 before winning a third title with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020.
McGee was born in Flint, Michigan, and attended two high schools in Michigan, Detroit Country Day School and Providence Christian, before transferring to Hales Franciscan High School in Chicago. According to Hales Franciscan coach Gary London, McGee’s natural position in college was ideally small forward, and he could play both forward spots. McGee was the starting center for the University of Nevada. After his sophomore campaign, in which he averaged 14.3 points and 7.3 rebounds, shooting 53% from the field and 33% from three-point range, McGee decided to hire an agent and declare for the 2008 NBA draft.
Professional career
Washington Wizards (2008–2012)
McGee was selected 18th overall by the Wizards in the 2008 NBA draft. On July 9, 2008, he signed a two-year, $2.4 million deal with the Wizards.
On January 6, 2011, McGee was chosen to participate in the 2011 NBA Slam Dunk Contest. McGee was the first Wizard to ever participate in the contest. He finished in second place, losing to Blake Griffin. McGee was the first player to use three balls at one time in a dunk contest, which was later cited by the Guinness World Records as the most basketballs dunked in a single jump. The third ball was passed to him from teammate John Wall.
On March 15, 2011, in a 98–79 loss against the Chicago Bulls, McGee notched his first career triple-double, recording 11 points, 12 rebounds, and 12 blocks. His career-high 12 blocks was the most since Keon Clark had 12 on March 23, 2001.
McGee averaged over 10 points and eight rebounds in 2010–11 and 2011–12 with the Wizards.
On March 15, 2012, McGee was traded to the Nuggets along with Ronny Turiaf in a deal that sent Nenê to the Wizards. As a member of the Wizards, he started 40 of 41 games in which he appeared; with the Nuggets, he would start in 5 of 20 games in which he appeared. His minutes would also be reduced, averaging 27.4 with Washington but 20.6 with Denver. On March 21, in his Nuggets debut, McGee made the game-winning dunk off an Arron Afflalo missed free throw with 5 seconds left on the clock. At the end of the regular season, the Nuggets earned the West’s sixth seed, and McGee appeared in the 2012 NBA Playoffs, which was his first playoff appearance in his career. McGee’s series-high was 21 points in Game 5 against first-round opponent Los Angeles Lakers. On July 18, 2012, McGee re-signed with the Nuggets on a four-year, $44 million contract.
Philadelphia 76ers (2015)
On February 19, 2015, McGee was traded, along with the rights to Chukwudiebere Maduabum and a 2015 first-round pick, to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for the rights to Cenk Akyol.
Dallas Mavericks (2015–2016)
On August 13, 2015, McGee signed with the Dallas Mavericks. He missed the team’s first 13 games of the 2015–16 season due to a stress fracture in his left tibia. On November 22, 2015, he made his debut for the Mavericks, playing in just under 11 minutes off the bench, recording 8 points and 6 rebounds in a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. On January 5, 2016, he recorded season highs of 13 points and 11 rebounds in a 117–116 double overtime win over the Sacramento Kings.
Golden State Warriors (2016–2018)
On September 16, 2016, McGee signed with the Golden State Warriors. On December 15, 2016, he scored a season-high 17 points in a 103–90 win over the New York Knicks. On March 31, 2017, he had 13 points and a season-best five blocked shots in a 107–98 win over the Houston Rockets. The Warriors went on to win the 2017 NBA Championship after defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers 4–1 in the NBA Finals. He played in 77 of 82 regular season games, with a field goal percentage of .652, and 16 of 17 playoff games, with a percentage of .732, both the best in his career.
On August 1, 2017, McGee re-signed with the Warriors on a one-year contract. His playing time increased when he was inserted into the starting lineup after the all-star break. In June 2018, he won his second straight championship after the Warriors defeated the Cavaliers in a four-game sweep in the Finals. He started the final three games of the series, and averaged 8.0 points in the four games.
Los Angeles Lakers (2018–2020)
On July 10, 2018, McGee signed with the Los Angeles Lakers. He missed seven games in December due to a respiratory infection. On March 22, 2019, he had career highs of 33 points and 20 rebounds along with six blocked shots in a 111–106 loss to the Brooklyn Nets.
During the 2019/2020 season, he played in 68 games and averaged 6.6 points and 5.7 rebounds in 16.6 minutes per game. He earned his third NBA Championship with the Lakers in 2020.
Cleveland Cavaliers (2020–2021)
On November 23, 2020, McGee was traded from the Los Angeles Lakers to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for Alfonzo McKinnie and Jordan Bell. On December 23, he made his competitive debut for the team in a 121-114 win against Charlotte Hornets and recorded 13 points and 7 rebounds off the bench.
2nd stint with Denver (2021–present)
On March 25, 2021, McGee was traded to the Denver Nuggets in exchange for center Isaiah Hartenstein and two future second-round picks.
National team career
McGee received an invite to the United States men’s national basketball team‘s mini camp in the summer of 2009 and again in the summer of 2010. McGee played with Team USA in a scrimmage at Radio City Music Hall during the 2010 World Basketball Festival.
McGee visited the Philippines twice during the 2011 NBA lockout, first in exhibition games with NBA stars against players from the Philippine Basketball Association and the Smart Gilas national team, and then in a basketball clinic. Later that year, he expressed his interest in playing for the Philippine national team, and in 2012, a bill was filed for his Filipino citizenship to make him eligible to play for Smart Gilas. In 2014, McGee was asked again by the Gilas Pilipinas to take part as a naturalized player for the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain. However, national teams were limited to one naturalized player apiece, and former Wizards teammate Andray Blatche made the World Cup team after he was granted citizenship.
On July 16, 2021 McGee and forward Keldon Johnson of the San Antonio Spurs were announced as new additions for team USA in preparation for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
Personal life
McGee’s father, 6-foot-10-inch (2.08 m) George Montgomery, was a 1985 draft second-round selection by the Portland Trail Blazers, though he did not play for the team. His mother, 6-foot-3-inch (1.91 m) Pamela McGee, was a University of Southern California standout, playing with her twin sister, Paula, with them, joined by Cheryl Miller, winning two NCAA Division One championships, in 1983 and 1984. That had followed two Michigan state championships at Northern Flint High School. She won an Olympic gold medal in 1984. Besides playing in France, Italy and Brazil, she was drafted in the 1997 WNBA draft by the Sacramento Monarchs. She starred for the Los Angeles Sparks and Sacramento Monarchs. McGee is the first son of a WNBA player to ever play in the NBA. His younger half-sister, Imani McGee-Stafford, also plays in the WNBA for the Atlanta Dream. His mother, with a degree in economics, balanced her international basketball career with raising both children, homeschooling, coaching and teaching school in the offseason, though the formidable tasks were not without controversy. McGee is also cousins with former NFL defensive end Jarron Gilbert.
In 2013, it was announced that McGee would be starring in his own reality television show, Mom’s Got Game, with his mother. McGee had the largest documented armspan of any current NBA player at 7 ft 6.5 in (2.30 m) until the Nuggets drafted Rudy Gobert, with an armspan at 7 ft 8.5 in (2.35 m) in the 2013 NBA draft. McGee has been featured regularly on Inside the NBA‘s basketball blooper feature “Shaqtin’ a Fool“, earning the nickname “Tragic Bronson”, a play on Magic Johnson, from Shaquille O’Neal.[59][60] McGee has expressed displeasure at his frequent appearance on the segment.[61] McGee became a full-time vegan in the summer of 2017. He had dabbled with the diet for a few years, using it before each season to lose weight. He committed to it full-time after seeing how his body responded during the Warriors’ championship season in 2016–17.
McGee is also a record producer under the moniker Pierre. He has a studio in Inglewood and released his self-titled debut album in 2018. In 2020, he co-produced “Available” with Poo Bear and Sasha Sirota on Justin Bieber’s record, Changes.
Cavs’ JaVale McGee adds a Grammy nomination to his résumé
New Cleveland Cavaliers center JaVale McGee is not only a three-time NBA champion, but he’s also been nominated for a Grammy Award.
McGee recently revealed on IG that Justin Bieber’s “Changes” album has been nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album. The Cavs big man was a producer on the album.
This is a neat achievement for JaVale McGee, who won his third NBA championship with the Los Angeles Lakers at Walt Disney World over the Miami Heat. The new Cavs veteran won his first two rings with the Golden State Warriors.
The Cavs acquired McGee from the Lakers for Jordan Bell and Alfonzo McKinnie. The 32-year-old averaged 6.6 points and 5.7 rebounds per game for the Lakers during the 2019-20 season while shooting 63.7 percent from the field and 64.6 percent from the free-throw line.
McGee, who was born in Flint, Michigan, has career NBA averages of 7.9 points and 5.1 rebounds in 701 games with the Washington Wizards, Denver Nuggets, Philadelphia 76ers, Dallas Mavericks, Warriors and Lakers.
It’s going to be tough for McGee to transition from the Lakers to the Cavs, who had the worst record in the Eastern Conference in 2019-20 before games were suspended in March due to COVID-19. His fit on the roster is rather strange, too, since the Cavs have Andre Drummond and Kevin Love in the frontcourt.
