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JaVale McGee is one of the most accomplished centers in the NBA. He recently won the gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, representing the United States in men's basketball. This came just months after winning the 2020 NBA championship with the LA Lakers alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Moreover, his title with the LA Lakers came two years after winning back-to-back NBA championships with the Golden State Warriors along with Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.
McGee's Olympic gold medal is particularly special for him because his mother, Pamela McGee, is also an Olympic gold medalist. She won gold representing the United States in women's basketball in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.
JaVale McGee happens to be one of the few players to have played with both LeBron James and Stephen Curry. Naturally, people wanted to know his inputs about that experience. @DreTh3Goat asked him:
"Who did you enjoy playing with more: LeBron or Steph?"
To which McGee replied:
"I would probably say LeBron the first year I was on the Lakers."
JaVale McGee played with LeBron James for two seasons from 2018 to 2020 and appeared in 129 games alongside him. He went 86-43 (.667) during his time with James on the court. Meanwhile, he also played with Stephen Curry for two seasons from 2016 to 2018. They appeared in 137 games together, going 113-24 (.825). Although his time with Curry featured more winning, McGee chooses to relish his time with King James in their first season together.
In the 2018-19 NBA season, both JaVale McGee and LeBron James were new to the LA Lakers. That season they finished 10th in the conference with a 37-45 record and evidently missed the playoffs. James suffered a groin injury and played just 55 games that year. But that first season together wasn't about winning, but rather about bonding and chemistry, which ultimately laid the foundation for the championship run they went on in 2019-20.
JaVale McGee reflects on his time with the Golden State Warriors; talks new role with the Phoenix Suns
As mentioned earlier, JaVale McGee's time with the Golden State Warriors was filled with winning and championship parades. He won two titles in 2017 and 2018 beating LeBron James' Cavaliers in both NBA Finals.
@TwoWayWigs asked him,
"What was it like playing for the Warriors, and what did it feel to have that success year in, year out?"
To which McGee replied,
"They do it right. They make it feel like family. They make sure everything is ok at home and good with you. Outside of basketball, they’re really meticulous about things like that, so I think that’s why they had so much success."
@Mools asked JaVale McGee which teammates he would say have been his biggest mentors over the course of his NBA career, and he said,
"Andre Iguodala. He taught me to be more of a professional when it comes to not just basketball, but investing and off-the-court things. He really helped me."
After playing one season with the Denver Nuggets, JaVale McGee signed with the Phoenix Suns as a free agent. The Suns are the reigning Western Conference champions and adding an experienced veteran like McGee will boost their chances of winning even further. He is expected to come off the bench for Deandre Ayton and spark their second unit alongside Cameron Payne.
@SunsCardinals asked him
"Are you excited to play with a very young, up-and-coming squad like Phoenix?"
McGee responded by saying,
"Very excited, just seeing the hunger those guys had last year making it all the way to the Finals. I saw a couple spaces they could have filled in, and I feel like I filled in one of those spaces they needed to take it all the way again, but to win."
The Phoenix Suns' regular season begins on October 20th, 2021 with a home game against reigning MVP Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets.
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