| No. 34 Washington Wizards | |
|---|---|
| Center | |
| Personal information | |
| Date of birth | January 19, 1988 |
| Place of birth | Flint, Michigan |
| Nationality | American |
| High school | Detroit Country Day, Providence Christian, Hales Franciscan |
| Listed height | 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) |
| Listed weight | 252 lb (114 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | Nevada |
| NBA Draft | 2008 / Round: 1 / Pick: 18th overall |
| Selected by the Washington Wizards | |
| Pro career | 2008–present |
| Career history | |
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| Stats at NBA.com | |
JaVale McGee (born January 19, 1988) is an American professional basketball player who was selected 18th overall by the Washington Wizards in the 2008 NBA Draft. He is a center who is listed at 7'0" and 252 lb. On July 9, 2008, he signed a two-year, $2.4 million deal with the Wizards.[1]
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McGee was born in Flint, Michigan, and attended two high schools in Michigan: Detroit Country Day and Providence Christian, before transferring to Hales Franciscan High School in Chicago.[2] McGee was the starting center for the University of Nevada, Reno. According to Hales Franciscan coach Gary London, McGee's natural position in college was ideally small forward, and that he could play both forward spots.[2] After his sophomore campaign, in which he averaged 14.3 points and 7.3 rebounds, shooting 53 percent from the field and 33 percent from three-point range, McGee decided to hire an agent and declare for the 2008 NBA Draft.[3]
On January 9, 2010, McGee was fined $10,000 by the Washington Wizards for participating in Gilbert Arenas' antics before a game on January 5, 2010 against the Philadelphia 76ers. Arenas was being investigated for a prior incident involving guns in the Wizards' locker room, but made light of the accusations by pointing his finger at his teammates, as if he were shooting them. His teammates were photographed smiling and laughing with him.[4]
On January 6, 2011, McGee was chosen to participate in the 2011 NBA Slam Dunk Contest.[5] McGee was the first Wizard to ever participate in the contest. He finished in second place, losing to Blake Griffin. He 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 number of 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 is the most since Keon Clark had 12 on March 23, 2001.[6] However, he was criticized for taking ill-advised shots in the fourth quarter to ensure he reached 10 points while his team was being blown out, and even received a technical foul for excessive celebration by pulling himself on the rim after a dunk for his final points. In response to the criticism, McGee said, "I got a triple-double. Who can say they got a triple-double? I’m not really worried about it."[7]
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.[8] McGee played with Team USA in a scrimmage at Radio City Music Hall during the 2010 World Basketball Festival[9] but after an uneven performance he did not play in the team's scrimmage against China at Madison Square Garden and was cut on August 15, 2010.[10]
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. McGee was later mentioned as a naturalization candidate for the Philippine national team. [11]
His father, 6'10" George Montgomery, was a 1985 second-round draft selection by the Portland Trail Blazers.[2] Also his mother, Pamela McGee, was a USC standout and WNBA star for the Los Angeles Sparks and Sacramento Monarchs.[1] McGee is the first son of a WNBA player to ever play in the NBA.[12]
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008–09 | Washington | 75 | 14 | 15.2 | .494 | .000 | .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 |
| Career | 214 | 108 | 20.1 | .523 | .000 | .620 | 5.5 | .4 | .4 | 1.7 | 7.8 |
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