JaVale Lindy McGee (pronounced jə-VAYL; born January 19, 1988) is an American professional basketball player. He last played for the Sacramento Kings in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

JaVale played college basketball for the Nevada Wolf Pack. He was picked 18th overall by the Washington Wizards in the 2008 NBA draft. McGee is a three-time NBA champion. He won two titles with the Golden State Warriors in 2017 and 2018. He then won a third title with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020.

His mother, Pamela McGee, won an Olympic gold medal in basketball. JaVale also won a gold medal with the U.S. Olympic team in 2020. This made them the first mother and son to both win Olympic gold in basketball.

Early Life and College Career

JaVale McGee was born in Flint, Michigan. He went to two high schools in Michigan: Detroit Country Day School and Providence Christian. Later, he moved to Hales Franciscan High School in Chicago, Illinois.

At the University of Nevada, McGee was the starting center. In his second year, he averaged 14.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. He shot 53% from the field. After this, he decided to join the 2008 NBA draft.

Professional Basketball Journey

Washington Wizards (2008–2012)

The Washington Wizards picked JaVale McGee 18th in the 2008 NBA draft. He signed a two-year contract with them in July 2008.

McGee playing in 2010

In January 2011, McGee was chosen for the NBA Slam Dunk Contest. He was the first player from the Wizards to join this contest. JaVale finished in second place. He was also the first player to use three basketballs in one dunk. This was even recognized by the Guinness World Records. His teammate John Wall helped him with the third ball.

On March 15, 2011, McGee achieved his first career triple-double. He scored 11 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, and blocked 12 shots. His 12 blocks were the most in an NBA game since 2001.

McGee played well for the Wizards in 2010–11 and 2011–12. He averaged over 10 points and eight rebounds in both seasons.

Denver Nuggets (2012–2015)

On March 15, 2012, McGee was traded to the Denver Nuggets. He started fewer games and played fewer minutes with the Nuggets. In his first game with Denver, he made the winning dunk with just five seconds left.

McGee played in the 2012 NBA playoffs, which was his first time in the playoffs. He scored a high of 21 points in one game against the Los Angeles Lakers. In July 2012, he signed a new four-year contract with the Nuggets.

His 2013–14 season ended early due to a leg injury. He had surgery in February 2014.

Philadelphia 76ers (2015)

In February 2015, McGee was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers. He played in six games for them before being released in March.

Dallas Mavericks (2015–2016)

McGee joined the Dallas Mavericks in August 2015. He missed the start of the season because of his leg injury. In November, he made his debut for the Mavericks. He scored 8 points and had 6 rebounds in his first game back. In January 2016, he had a season-high 13 points and 11 rebounds.

Golden State Warriors (2016–2018)

On September 16, 2016, McGee signed with the Golden State Warriors. He scored a season-high 17 points in December. In March 2017, he had 13 points and blocked five shots.

The Warriors went on to win the 2017 NBA Finals. They beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in five games. McGee played in most games that season and had his best shooting percentages. The Warriors had a great playoff record of 16 wins and 1 loss.

In August 2017, McGee re-signed with the Warriors. He started more games after the All-Star break. In June 2018, he won his second straight championship. The Warriors swept the Cavaliers in the NBA Finals. McGee started the last three games of that series.

Los Angeles Lakers (2018–2020)

McGee signed with the Los Angeles Lakers in July 2018. He missed some games in December due to a respiratory infection. On March 22, 2019, he had his career best game. He scored 33 points, grabbed 20 rebounds, and blocked 6 shots.

In the 2019–20 season, McGee played in 68 games. He averaged 6.6 points and 5.7 rebounds. He won his third NBA championship with the Lakers in 2020.

Cleveland Cavaliers (2020–2021)

On November 23, 2020, McGee was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers. He made his debut for the team in December, scoring 13 points and getting 7 rebounds.

Return to Denver (2021)

On March 25, 2021, McGee was traded back to the Denver Nuggets.

Phoenix Suns (2021–2022)

McGee signed with the Phoenix Suns on August 16, 2021.

Return to Dallas (2022–2023)

On July 9, 2022, McGee signed again with the Dallas Mavericks. He was released by the team in August 2023.

Sacramento Kings (2023–2024)

On September 2, 2023, McGee signed with the Sacramento Kings. By playing for the Kings, he and his mother, Pamela, have both played for professional basketball teams in Dallas, Los Angeles, and Sacramento.

Career Statistics

NBA

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2008–09	Washington	75	14	15.2	.494	—	.660	3.9	.3	.4	1.0	6.5
2009–10	Washington	60	19	16.1	.508	.000	.638	4.0	.2	.3	1.7	6.4
2010–11	Washington	79	75	27.8	.550	.000	.583	8.0	.5	.5	2.4	10.1
2011–12	Washington	41	40	27.4	.535	—	.500	8.8	.6	.6	2.5	11.9
2011–12	Denver	20	5	20.5	.612	—	.373	5.8	.3	.5	1.6	10.3
2012–13	Denver	79	0	18.1	.575	1.000	.591	4.8	.3	.4	2.0	9.1
2013–14	Denver	5	5	15.9	.447	—	1.000	3.4	.4	.2	1.4	7.0
2014–15	Denver	17	0	11.4	.557	—	.690	2.8	.1	.1	1.1	5.2
2014–15	Philadelphia	6	0	10.2	.444	—	.500	2.2	.3	.0	.2	3.0
2015–16	Dallas	34	2	10.9	.575	.000	.500	3.9	.1	.1	.8	5.1
2016–17	Golden State	77	10	9.6	.652	.000	.505	3.2	.2	.2	.9	6.1
2017–18	Golden State	65	17	9.5	.621	.000	.731	2.6	.5	.3	.9	4.8
2018–19	L.A. Lakers	75	62	22.3	.624	.083	.634	7.5	.7	.6	2.0	12.0
2019–20	L.A. Lakers	68	68	16.6	.637	.500	.646	5.7	.5	.5	1.4	6.6
2020–21	Cleveland	33	1	15.2	.521	.250	.655	5.2	1.0	.5	1.2	8.0
2020–21	Denver	13	1	13.5	.478	.000	.667	5.3	.5	.2	1.1	5.5
2021–22	Phoenix	74	17	15.8	.629	.222	.699	6.7	.6	.3	1.1	9.2
2022–23	Dallas	42	7	8.4	.640	.400	.585	2.5	.3	.1	.6	4.4
2023–24	Sacramento	46	0	7.4	.598	.143	.578	2.7	.4	.3	.4	4.0
Career		909	343	16.1	.578	.192	.604	5.0	.4	.4	1.4	7.6

Play-in

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2024	Sacramento	1	0	2.2	1.000	—	—	.0	.0	.0	1.0	2.0
Career		1	0	2.2	1.000	—	—	.0	.0	.0	1.0	2.0

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2012	Denver	7	0	25.9	.434	—	.538	9.6	.7	.7	3.1	8.6
2013	Denver	6	2	18.7	.581	—	.389	5.2	.0	.7	1.0	7.2
2016	Dallas	2	0	7.0	.500	—	.333	1.5	.0	.5	.0	2.0
2017	Golden State	16	1	9.3	.732	—	.722	3.0	.3	.1	.9	5.9
2018	Golden State	13	9	12.2	.672	.000	.684	3.2	.3	.2	1.3	6.5
2020	L.A. Lakers	14	11	9.6	.625	.000	.500	3.1	.5	.1	.7	2.9
2021	Denver	4	0	8.5	.300	.000	.333	3.0	.8	.3	1.3	2.0
2022	Phoenix	12	0	11.1	.700	.000	.846	4.0	.6	.3	.4	6.8
Career		74	23	12.4	.616	.000	.571	4.0	.4	.3	1.0	5.6

College

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2006–07	Nevada	33	0	10.0	.600	.667	.471	2.2	.1	.2	.9	3.3
2007–08	Nevada	33	31	27.3	.529	.333	.525	7.3	.6	.8	2.8	14.1
Career		66	31	18.7	.542	.356	.514	4.8	.3	.5	1.8	8.7

National Team and Olympics

McGee playing for Team USA in 2009

JaVale McGee was invited to the U.S. national team's training camps in 2009 and 2010. He played in a scrimmage game in 2010.

Later, McGee showed interest in playing for the Philippine national team. A bill was even proposed to grant him Filipino citizenship. However, national teams can only have one naturalized player. His former teammate, Andray Blatche, was granted citizenship instead.

In 2021, McGee joined the U.S. Olympic team for the 2020 Tokyo Games. He replaced other players who could not attend. On August 7, 2021, McGee won an Olympic gold medal. The United States team beat France in the final game.

With this medal, JaVale and his mother, Pamela McGee, made history. They became the first mother and son to both win gold medals in Olympic basketball.

Life Outside Basketball

Family and Background

JaVale McGee comes from a family of basketball players. His father, George Montgomery, was a tall player at 6 feet 10 inches. He was drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers in 1985.

His mother, Pamela McGee, was a star player at the University of Southern California. She won two college championships in 1983 and 1984. Pamela also won an Olympic gold medal in 1984. She played professional basketball in France, Italy, and Brazil. She also played in the WNBA for the Sacramento Monarchs and Los Angeles Sparks.

JaVale is the first son of a WNBA player to play in the NBA. His younger half-sister, Imani McGee-Stafford, is also a professional basketball player. She played in the WNBA for the Chicago Sky and Atlanta Dream. JaVale is also cousins with former NFL player Jarron Gilbert.

Other Interests

In 2013, it was announced that McGee would star in his own reality TV show. It was called Mom's Got Game and featured his mother.

McGee is known for his very long arms. He had one of the longest armspans of any NBA player at 7 feet 6.5 inches.

Since 2017, McGee has been a full-time vegan. He had tried the diet before each season to help him lose weight. He decided to stick with it after seeing how well his body felt during the Warriors' championship season.

JaVale McGee is also a record producer. He uses the name Pierre. He has his own music studio in Inglewood. In 2018, he released his first album. In 2020, he helped produce a song called "Available" for Justin Bieber's album, Changes.

JaVale McGee facts for kids

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