Former Warriors fan favorite has dominant first week in Australia

After playing 16 seasons in the NBA, center JaVale McGee spent last season in Spain with the Vaqueros de Bayamón. Unable to find a deal back in the NBA this offseason, McGee travelled signed with the Illawarra Hawks of the Australian National Basketball League. Now 37, McGee is taking advantage of his basketball talents to travel the world. Not a bad swan song to an excellent basketball career. In his first two games in Australia, McGee has been a dominant force.

In his first two contests, McGee is averaging 29 points, 13.5 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 blocks, 2 assists, and 3 turnovers per game for the Hawks. However, McGee’s individual success has not translated into the standings yet. The Hawks have lost their first two contests, which is a noticeable surprise since the Hawks are reigning NBL champions who finished 20-9 last season.

McGee was a veteran journeyman seemingly heading out of the NBA when he joined the Warriors in the 2016-17 season. After a promising start to his career with the Washington Wizards and Denver Nuggets, McGee’s limitations outside of shot blocking and finishing lobs left him on the outskirts of the NBA. However, playing alongside the elite talent of Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green proved to be the perfect situation for McGee’s skillset. He was an excellent bench sparkplug and went on to be a starting center with the Los Angeles Lakers, including in the 2019-20 championship run. It was his third career title.

After a pair of seasons with the Lakers, McGee bounced between the Cleveland Cavaliers, Denver Nuggets, Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, and Sacramento Kings over four subsequent years. While McGee remained a highly-efficient box score producer in a limited bench role, he ultimately found himself on the outskirts of the league and took his talents abroad. At the moment, it seems that will be a boon to Australian basketball.