Ex-USC star, who won gold at the 1984 Games in L.A., is rooting for the former Laker to help them make more history
Lakers center JaVale McGee, left, poses for a photo with his mom, former USC star Pamela McGee, during a game between USC and Nevada on Dec. 1, 2018, at the Galen Center. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Pam McGee has always had something to dangle over her son’s head.
When he was a burgeoning young star at Nevada, she would tell him he still hadn’t reached the pros. When he made the NBA, she would tell him he hadn’t won a championship. Now with three rings, there’s one plateau JaVale McGee hasn’t reached that his mom has: Olympic gold.
Time might be running out on those days now that JaVale is in Japan with Team USA basketball.
“She always talks about, ‘Yeah, y’all really not doing nothing until you get the championship,’” he said Thursday from Tokyo. “Then I got the championship, and she’s like, ‘Well, you don’t have the gold medal.’ And now I have an opportunity to get a gold medal. It’ll be amazing.”
Perhaps like no other player in the NBA, McGee has found himself chasing his mom’s legacy throughout his basketball career. Pam McGee’s women’s basketball Hall of Fame berth would have been set by her USC tenure alone: back-to-back national titles, three All-America teams, playing alongside the likes of Cheryl Miller and Cynthia Cooper. But she also secured international history by winning gold in the 1984 Olympics, the first gold medal for the Team USA women in the sport.
JaVale has always been aware of this history, although some of the details have escaped him. He recently asked Pam if she stayed in the Olympic Village in 1984: “I said, ‘J, it was in Los Angeles.’”
Even though Pam senses she might be losing some leverage in measuring her basketball career against her son, her overwhelming feeling is pride. JaVale was a late addition after Kevin Love stayed behind after camp in Las Vegas, but it doesn’t matter how you get on Team USA – it’s that you’re ready when it happens, Pam said.
“I always tell him, “We don’t care how we got in the door – front door, back door, side door – as long as we get to the table.’” she said in a phone interview with Southern California News Group. “I got cut from several teams before the Pan American team (in 1983) and then the Olympic team. Eventually, people will recognize the work, those hours you’re putting in the gym.”
Pam is at the root of her son’s work on the court. She was his first trainer, a role she took as seriously as a drill sergeant. In between the lines, she was never “Mom,” but always “Coach.” JaVale quit training with her when he was 13, frustrated by how tough Pam could be. Pam accepted that decision, telling him she didn’t want her role as a coach to come before her role as a mother.
He came back when he got to high school, and learned that his friends who had kept training with Pam had made varsity, and he had only made JV: “He understood that the varsity players got all the attention from the cute girls,” Pam said with a snicker.
That pressure has helped build out of the legacy of the McGee family on the court: Pam and Paula, identical twins, were foundational pieces of the Trojans’ basketball dynasty (the subject of the HBO documentary “Women of Troy”). JaVale has played in the NBA for more than a decade now, and Imani McGee played in the WNBA – making Pam the only former WNBA player to have children who played in the NBA and WNBA.
But as proud as the on-court pursuits have made her, she gushes about her children off the court more: Imani is pursuing a law degree, and what makes Pam most proud of JaVale is how often she hears those around him tell her what a nice person he is.
“One of the things that we all want when we look at our children: We want them to be resilient and good people,” she said. “All kinds of people, from the ushers, to the janitors, and the fans, to the lady in Cleveland who gave me my COVID test one time, say, ‘We love your son. He’s the kindest, nicest person we ever met.’ And they try their hardest to get to me, to go out of their way to tell me that.”
Pam recently went viral for an unfortunate reason. On an Olympic conference call, a reporter asked JaVale if his mother was still alive. JaVale squinted skeptically: “Yes, she’s still alive. That’s a weird question to ask somebody, but keep going.” JaVale later posted a picture of Pam working out at a gym. (The reporter told SCNG that he had lost a parent and didn’t wish to be insensitive before asking a follow-up question about their conversation when he made Team USA.)
When told about the question, Pam audibly gasped. She’s a public figure with several social media accounts, and had tweeted about her son’s inclusion onto Team USA earlier in the week. She took offense that the reporter would have asked the question without research on the world stage, offering a well-known quote: “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt.”
But the overriding feeling she has is joy for JaVale, who FaceTimed her from the Team USA bus on the way to the opening ceremonies in Tokyo. The men were riding with the women, and JaVale noted that Team USA coach Dawn Staley – who Pam played against during her pro career – was also on board.
Pam still remembers how special winning the 1984 gold medal felt. Of millions of people playing basketball all over the world, only 12 women earned the right to be called the best that year, Pam said. Even though the exclusivity element made it unique, Pam has always been one to share success with family: Moments after receiving gold on the podium, Pam sought out her sister Paula in the crowd and wrapped the medal around her neck, dissolving both women into tears.
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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.
United States national basketball team
JaVale McGee Asked Odd Question About His Mom Pamela
JaVale McGee followed in the footsteps of his mother, Pamela, by becoming an Olympic athlete.
Prior to his Olympic debut with the U.S. Men’s National Team, McGee was asked about his mom during USA basketball’s press conference, but it was a rather awkward question by a reporter who clearly did not do basic research or even a simple Google search.
“Hey JaVale, welcome aboard, I’m not sure … is your mom still with us?” the reporter asked.
“Is my mom alive? Yeah, she’s still alive,” a visibly befuddled McGee responded. “That’s a weird question to ask somebody, but keep going.”
McGee later tweeted a photo of his mother at the gym for a workout.
Pamela McGee, 58, is alive and well, tweeting daily for her nearly 13,000 followers. That included a recent tweet about the McGee family making history as mother and son Olympians…
Pamela McGee won gold in the 1984 with the U.S. Women’s National Team, and also won a Pan-American Gold Medal and World Championship the year prior. After winning back-to-back NCAA championships with USC in 1983 and 1984 and then playing overseas, Pamela McGee played for the Dallas Diamonds of the Women’s Professional Basketball League and for the Sacramento Monarchs and Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA.
Her son, currently a center for the Denver Nuggets, has won three NBA championships during his 13-year career. McGee was a late addition to the Olympic team, replacing Kevin Love. Her daughter, Imani McGee-Stafford, was a 2016 first-round pick in the WNBA draft and currently plays for the Perth Lynx of the Women’s National Basketball League.
Former gold medalist Pam McGee proud of son JaVale and his Olympic pursuit
Pamela Maggie always had something hanging on her son’s head.
When he was a fast-growing young star in Nevada, she told him he hadn’t reached the pro yet. When he made the NBA, she told him he hadn’t won the championship. Currently, there are three rings and one plateau that JaVale McGee has not yet reached. It’s the Olympic gold medal.
Now that Javert is in Japan with Team USA Basketball, that day may run out.
“She always says,’Yes, I’m not really doing anything until you win the championship,’” he said from Tokyo on Thursday. “Then I won the championship, and she’s like” well, you don’t have a gold medal. ” And now I have the opportunity to win a gold medal. Would be great. “
Probably like other NBA players, McGee realized that he was chasing his mother’s legacy throughout his basketball career… Pamela McGee’s entry into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame would have been set only during her tenure at USC. He played with consecutive national titles, three national teams, Cheryl Miller and Cynthia Cooper. However, she also secured an international history by winning a gold medal at the 1984 Olympic Games. This is the first gold medal for Team USA women in this sport.
JaVale has always been aware of this history, but some of the details have escaped him. He recently asked Pam if he stayed in the Olympic Village in 1984. “I said,’J, it was in Los Angeles.’”
Pam feels he may have lost some power in measuring his basketball career with his son, but she is proud of her overwhelming feelings. Javert was added late after Kevin Love was late after the camp in Las Vegas, but it doesn’t matter how he rides Team USA. It means you’re ready when it happens.
“I always tell him,’As long as I get to the table, I don’t care how I get into the front door, back door, side door, etc.” “She said in a telephone interview with Southern California newsgroups. .. “I was separated from the Pan American Team (1983), and some teams before the Olympic team. Eventually, people will recognize the work that is the time you are in the gym. “
Pam underlies his son’s court work. She was his first trainer and was as serious a role as a training sergeant. Between the lines, she was never a “mother”, but always a “coach”. Javert stopped training with her at the age of 13 and was dissatisfied with Pam’s toughness. Pam accepted the decision and told him he didn’t want his role as a coach to come before his role as a mother.
When I entered high school, I came back and learned that a friend who had been training with Pam had formed a national team, so I just made a JV. Said with a snicker.
That pressure helped build the Maggie heritage in court. The identical twins Pam and Paula were a fundamental part of the Trojan horse basketball dynasty (the subject of the HBO documentary “Troy Women”). JaVale has been playing in the NBA for over 10 years, Imani McGee has been playing in the WNBA, and Pam is the only former WNBA player with children who have played in the NBA and WNBA.
But just as her pursuit in court is proud of her, she is erupting more about her children outside the court. Imani is pursuing a law degree. He is a good person.
“One of the things we all want when we look at our children is that they want them to be resilient and good people,” she said. .. “People of all kinds, from ushers to janitor, fans, to the Cleveland woman who once gave me my COVID test, say:’We love your son. He’s what we do. He is the kindest and nicest person I have ever met. “And they try hard to get close to me and get out of their way to tell me that. “
Pam recently spread by word of mouth for unfortunate reasons. At the Olympic conference call, reporters asked Javert if his mother was still alive. Ja Vale squinted skeptically. “Yes, she’s still alive. That’s a weird question to ask someone, but keep going.” JaVale later posted a photo of Pam exercising in the gym. (A reporter told SCNG that when he created Team USA, he didn’t want to lose his parents and be insensitive before asking follow-up questions about their conversation.)
When asked about the question, Pam gasped to hear. She is a public figure with several social media accounts and tweeted about her son joining Team USA earlier in the week. She was angry that the reporter would have asked the question without investigating on the world stage, and provided a well-known quote.
But the most important feeling she has is the joy for Ja Vale, who Face Timed her from the Team USA bus on her way to the opening ceremony in Tokyo. The man was riding with the woman, and Javert said that Team USA coach Dawn Staley, whom Pam played during her professional career, was also in attendance.
Pam still remembers how special it was to win the 1984 gold medal. Of the millions of people playing basketball around the world, only 12 women won what was called the best of the year, according to Pam. Pam always shared success with his family, even if the monopoly element made it unique: the moment after receiving the money on the podium, Pam sought out his sister Paula from the crowd, wrapped a medal around her neck, and melted both women in tears.
It was fun for Javert to achieve some achievements that Javert had never achieved, but in the end it was all of them to be the first mother-child duo to win a gold medal in basketball. It will be the most exclusive club of all.
“He often asked me,’Why can’t you be just a mom?’ She said. “I say,’Why can I be something when no one has done what I’ve done before?’ And now we’re behind us We are setting a blueprint for other people coming. “
Former gold medalist Pam McGee proud of son JaVale and his Olympic pursuit – Press Telegram Source link Former gold medalist Pam McGee proud of son JaVale and his Olympic pursuit