JaVale McGee
JaVale McGee | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 19, 1988 Flint, Michigan, United States |
| Occupation | Professional basketball player |
| Years active | 2008–present |
| Known for | Three-time NBA champion; NBA Slam Dunk Contest runner-up; Olympic gold medalist |
JaVale Lindy McGee ( ; born January 19, 1988) is a professional basketball athlete from the United States currently playing for the Illawarra Hawks in the Australian National Basketball League (NBL). He competed at the collegiate level with the Nevada Wolf Pack before being chosen 18th overall by the Washington Wizards in the 2008 NBA draft. McGee is a three-time NBA champion, having secured back-to-back championships with the Golden State Warriors in 2017 and 2018, as well as another title with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020. As the son of Olympic gold medalist Pamela McGee, he also attained a gold medal as part of the 2020 U.S. Olympic squad.
High school and college career
Originating from Flint, Michigan, McGee attended several high schools across Michigan and Illinois, including Detroit Country Day School, Providence Christian, and Chicago’s Hales Franciscan High School. His coach at Hales Franciscan recognized his potential as a natural small forward capable of playing both forward roles.
During his time at the University of Nevada, McGee was the starting center, posting averages of 14.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game while shooting 53% from the field and 33% beyond the arc during his sophomore year. He entered the 2008 NBA draft after hiring an agent.
Washington Wizards (2008–2012)
Selected 18th overall by Washington in the 2008 NBA draft, McGee signed a two-year deal worth $2.4 million on July 9, 2008.
In January 2010, he was fined $10,000 due to involvement in teammate Gilbert Arenas' controversial behavior before a game amid an investigation concerning firearms in the locker room.
On January 6, 2011, McGee became the first player from the Wizards to participate in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest, finishing as runner-up to Blake Griffin. He set a Guinness World Record by dunking three basketballs simultaneously, with teammate John Wall assisting by passing him the third ball.
McGee achieved his first career triple-double on March 15, 2011, recording 11 points, 12 rebounds, and a career-best 12 blocks—the highest single-game block total since 2001. Although he faced criticism for taking questionable shots late during a blowout loss and received a technical foul for excessive celebration, he stood by his accomplishment.
Amid the 2011 NBA lockout, McGee left an NBPA meeting prematurely and remarked that some players were "ready to fold," comments he later retracted. Fellow player Derek Fisher questioned McGee’s credentials to speak on union issues given his brief attendance.
During both the 2010–11 and 2011–12 seasons with Washington, McGee averaged more than 10 points and eight rebounds per game.
Denver Nuggets (2012–2015)
On March 15, 2012, McGee was traded to the Denver Nuggets along with Ronny Turiaf in exchange for Nenê. While with Washington, he started in 40 of 41 games averaging 27.4 minutes per contest; after joining Denver, he started five out of 20 games with an average of 20.6 minutes. In his Nuggets debut on March 21, McGee secured a game-winning dunk following an Arron Afflalo missed free throw with five seconds remaining. The Nuggets clinched the Western Conference’s sixth seed that season, marking McGee’s first playoff appearance. He posted a series-high of 21 points in Game 5 against the Lakers, though his performance varied throughout including scoring six points in Game 7. On July 18, 2012, McGee agreed to a four-year contract worth $44 million to remain with Denver.
McGee’s season in 2013–14 was cut short on February 20, 2014, after undergoing surgery for a stress fracture in his left tibia sustained back in November 2013. He made his return on October 29, 2014, contributing two points and two rebounds during the season opener against the Detroit Pistons.
Philadelphia 76ers (2015)
On February 19, 2015, McGee was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers along with the rights to Chukwudiebere Maduabum and a 2015 first-round draft selection, in exchange for the rights to Cenk Akyol. He participated in six games before being released on March 1.
Dallas Mavericks (2015–2016)
McGee inked a deal with the Dallas Mavericks on August 13, 2015. After sidelined for the first 13 games of the season due to a stress fracture in his left tibia, he made his debut on November 22, contributing eight points and six rebounds off the bench. On January 5, 2016, he achieved season-best figures with 13 points and 11 rebounds during a double overtime victory against the Sacramento Kings. The Mavericks waived McGee on July 8, 2016.
Golden State Warriors (2016–2018)
On September 16, 2016, McGee signed with the Golden State Warriors. He tallied a season-high 17 points on December 15 in a matchup versus the New York Knicks and blocked five shots on March 31, 2017, against the Houston Rockets. McGee played a significant role in the Warriors' dominant campaign, appearing in 77 regular-season contests with an impressive .652 field goal percentage and participating in 16 playoff games while shooting .732. The Warriors captured the 2017 NBA Finals championship with an unprecedented postseason record of 16–1.
McGee re-signed with Golden State on August 1, 2017, agreeing to a one-year contract. Following the All-Star break, his responsibilities increased as he joined the starting lineup. In June 2018, he secured his second consecutive NBA title when the Warriors swept the Cavaliers in the Finals. During those Finals, McGee started three out of four games and averaged eight points per game.
Los Angeles Lakers (2018–2020)
McGee signed with the Los Angeles Lakers on July 10, 2018. He missed seven games in December due to a respiratory illness. On March 22, 2019, he posted career-high numbers with 33 points, 20 rebounds, and six blocks in a narrow 111–106 loss to the Brooklyn Nets.
During the 2019–20 season, McGee appeared in 68 games, averaging 6.6 points and 5.7 rebounds over 16.6 minutes per contest. He earned his third NBA championship as part of the Lakers' title-winning squad in 2020.
Cleveland Cavaliers (2020–2021)
On November 23, 2020, McGee was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for Alfonzo McKinnie and Jordan Bell. He made his debut on December 23 by contributing 13 points and seven rebounds off the bench during a 121–114 victory over the Charlotte Hornets.
Return to Denver (2021)
McGee was traded back to the Denver Nuggets on March 25, 2021, for center Isaiah Hartenstein along with two future second-round draft picks.
Phoenix Suns (2021–2022)
On August 16, 2021, McGee signed with the Phoenix Suns.
Return to Dallas (2022–2023)
McGee rejoined the Dallas Mavericks on July 9, 2022. He was waived by Dallas on August 29, 2023.
Sacramento Kings (2023–2024)
On September 2, 2023, McGee signed with the Sacramento Kings. Upon debuting for Sacramento, he matched his mother Pamela’s unique accomplishment of playing professionally for teams based in Dallas, Los Angeles, and Sacramento.
Vaqueros de Bayamón (2025)
On January 31, 2025, McGee became a member of the Vaqueros de Bayamón competing in the Baloncesto Superior Nacional. He played a role in securing the team's championship title in the BSN.
Illawarra Hawks (2025–present)
McGee inked a deal with the Illawarra Hawks of Australia's National Basketball League on August 1, 2025, for the 2025–26 campaign. During his first game on September 27, he tallied 32 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, although the Hawks fell to the Tasmania JackJumpers. On November 5, he delivered an impressive performance with 37 points and 14 rebounds leading to a victory against Melbourne United.
Regular season
|- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Washington | 75 || 14 || 15.2 || .494 || || .660 || 3.9 || .3 || .4 || 1.0 || 6.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Washington | 60 || 19 || 16.1 || .508 || .000 || .638 || 4.0 || .2 || .3 || 1.7 || 6.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Washington | 79 || 75 || 27.8 || .550 || .000 || .583 || 8.0 || .5 || .5 || 2.4 || 10.1 |- | style="text-align:left;" rowspan=2| | style="text-align:left;"| Washington | 41 || 40 || 27.4 || .535 || || .500 || 8.8 || .6 || .6 || 2.5 || 11.9 |- | style="text-align:left;"| Denver | 20 || 5 || 20.5 || .612 || || .373 || 5.8 || .3 || .5 || 1.6 || 10.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Denver | 79 || 0 || 18.1 || .575 || 1.000 || .591 || 4.8 || .3 || .4 || 2.0 || 9.1 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Denver | 5 || 5 || 15.9 || .447 || || 1.000 || 3.4 || .4 || .2 || 1.4||7.0 |- | style="text-align:left;" rowspan=2| | style="text-align:left;" | Denver |17||0||11.4||.557||||.690||2.8||.1||.1||1.1||5.2 |-
| style="text-align:left;" | Philadelphia |6||0||10.2||.444||||.500||2.2||.3||0||0.2||3.0
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | Dallas |34||2||10.9||.575||0||.500||3.9||0.1||0.1||0.8||5.1
|-
| style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;" | Golden State |77||10||9.6||.652||0||.505||3.2||0.2||0.2||0..9||6..1 |- | style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;" | Golden State |65||17||9..5||..621||0..||..731||2..6|||0..5|||0..3|||0..9|||4..8 |- | style="text-align:left;" | L.A.Lakers |75|||62|||22..3||| .624||| .083||| .634|||7..5|||0..7|||.6|||2..0|||.12..0 |- | style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;" | L.A.Lakers |68|||68|||16..6|||..637|||..500|||..646|||5..7|||..5|||..5|||1..4|||6..6 |- | style="text-align:left;" rowspan=2> Cleveland |33|||1|||15..2|||..521|||..250|||..655|||5..2|||1..0|||..5|||1..2|||8..0 |- | style="text-align:left;" | Denver |13|||1|||13..5|||..478|||0|||..667|||5..3|||..5|||..2|||1..1|||5..5 |- | style="text-align:left;" | Phoenix |74|||17|||15..8|||..629|||..222|||..699|||6..7|||..6|||..3|||1..1|||9..2 |- | style="text-align:left;" | Dallas |42|||7|||8..4|||..640|||..400|||..585|||2..5|||..3|||..1|||..6|||4..4 |- | style="text-align:left;" | Sacramento |46||||7...4||||598||||143||||578||||2...7||||4...||||3...||||...4||||4...0
|- class="sortbottom" ! colspan=2 align=center Career !909!!343!!16...1!!.578!!.192!!.604!!5...0!!.4!!.4!!1...4!!7...6
Playoffs
|- | style="text-align:left;"| 2012 | style="text-align:left;"| Denver | 7 || 0 || 25.9 || .434 || — || .538 || 9.6 || .7 || .7 || 3.1 || 8.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2013 | style="text-align:left;"| Denver | 6 || 2 || 18.7 || .581 || — || .389 || 5.2 || .0 || .7 || 1.0 || 7.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2016 | style="text-align:left;"| Dallas | 2 || 0 || 7.0 || .500 || — || .333 || 1.5 || .0 || .5 || .0 || 2.0 |- | style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;"| 2017 | style="text-align:left;"| Golden State | 16 || 1 || 9.3 || .732 || — || .722 || 3.0 || .3 || .1 || .9 || 5.9 |- | style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;"| 2018 | style="text-align:left;"| Golden State | 13 || 9 || 12.2 || .672 || .000 || .684 || 3.2 || .3 || .2 || 1.3 || 6.5 |- | style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;"| 2020 | style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers | 14 || 11 || 9.6 || .625 || .000 || .500 || 3.1 || .5 || .1 || .7 || 2.9 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2021 | style="text-align:left;"| Denver | 4 || 0 || 8.5 || .300 || .000 || .333 || 3.0 || .8 || .3 || 1.3 || 2.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2022 | style="text-align:left;"| Phoenix | 12 || 0 || 11.1 || .700 || .000|| .846||4.0||.6||.3||.4||6.8 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2" | Career |74||23||12.4||.616||.000||.571||4.0||.4||.3||1.0||5.6
College
|-
|style="text-align:left;" |2006–07 |style="text-align:left;" |Nevada |33||0||10.0||600||667||.471||2.2||.1||.2||.9||3.3
| |-
|style="text-align:left;" |2007–08 |style="text-align:left;" |Nevada |33||31|||27.3|||'.529'|'333'|'525'|'7.'|'6'|'8'|'28'|'14.'|
|- class="sortbottom"
|style="text-align:center;" colspan=2 |Career |66|||31|||18.'|||542'||356'||514'||4.'|||3'||5'||1.'|||8.'|
National team career
McGee participated in the U.S national team mini-camps during the summers of both 2009 and 2010 and competed in a scrimmage at the World Basketball Festival in 2010; however, he was released prior to the China scrimmage due to inconsistent performance.
In the midst of the 2011 NBA lockout, McGee traveled to the Philippines to take part in exhibition matches and basketball clinics, showing a desire to represent the Philippine national team (Smart Gilas). A legislative proposal was introduced in 2012 aiming to grant him Filipino citizenship to qualify for the team, and although he was considered as a naturalized player for the Philippines during the preparations for the 2014 FIBA World Cup, that position ultimately went to his former teammate Andray Blatche.
For the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, McGee joined the U.S Olympic basketball roster as a replacement for Bradley Beal, helping secure a gold medal after the U.S defeated France in the championship game on August 7, 2021; this achievement made McGee and his mother Pamela the first mother-son pair to both earn Olympic gold medals in history.
Philanthropy
In 2013, McGee established the Juglife Foundation with the goal of increasing public understanding about the importance of hydration and access to clean drinking water. He has organized celebrity softball events that include fellow NBA players. The foundation collaborates with Hope 4 Kids International to construct water wells in Uganda.
Personal life
George Montgomery, McGee's father, was selected in the second round of the 1985 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers but never appeared in a game for the franchise. His mother, Pamela McGee, excelled at the University of Southern California, securing two NCAA titles in 1983 and 1984 as well as an Olympic gold medal in 1984. She pursued a professional basketball career overseas in France, Italy, and Brazil and later played in the WNBA for both the Sacramento Monarchs and Los Angeles Sparks. JaVale holds the distinction of being the first NBA player whose mother competed in the WNBA. Additionally, his half-sister Imani McGee-Stafford has played professionally for the Chicago Sky and Atlanta Dream. Throughout her international basketball career, Pamela managed homeschooling and coaching responsibilities.
McGee is related to former NFL defensive end Jarron Gilbert. In 2013, he appeared alongside his mother on the reality television series Mom's Got Game. Until Rudy Gobert entered the league with a wingspan of 7 feet 8.5 inches, McGee was noted for having one of the longest arm spans in the NBA at 7 feet 6.5 inches. He was a frequent figure on Inside the NBA's blooper segment Shaqtin' a Fool, where Shaquille O'Neal dubbed him "Tragic Bronson," a nickname McGee publicly disliked.
In the summer of 2017, McGee adopted a fully vegan lifestyle after experimenting with plant-based nutrition to enhance his performance during the Golden State Warriors’ championship run. Beyond his basketball career, he is active as a music producer under the alias Pierre, operating a studio based in Inglewood, California. His debut album was released in 2018, and he contributed as co-producer on Justin Bieber’s 2020 album Changes with the track "Available."