Mum’s insistence on work ethic proves prophetic for JaVale McGee, a three-time NBA champion
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JaVale McGee was heavily influenced by his mother Pamela McGee, who taught him to work hard.
ST PHOTO: BRIAN TEO
Follow topic:
- JaVale McGee credits his mother, Pamela McGee, a fellow Olympic gold medallist, for instilling a strong work ethic which helped him win three NBA titles.
- They are the first mother and son duo to win Olympic gold medals.
- McGee has won championships in the NBA and Puerto Rico; he is now playing for the Illawarra Hawks in Australia and competing in the Fiba Intercontinental Cup in Singapore.
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SINGAPORE – Growing up, former National Basketball Association (NBA) star JaVale McGee not only had his mother as a cheerleader, but also his personal basketball coach.
His mum, Pamela McGee, comes with sporting pedigree, having been a former WNBA player and part of the 1984 US team who won the country’s first Olympic gold in women’s basketball.
More than anything else, it was the work ethic ingrained in him by his mum that has stuck with him since young, said McGee, who is in Singapore for the Sept 18-21 Fiba Intercontinental Cup (ICC).
“She always said ‘you don’t have to always be the most talented player, but you always have to be the hardest working player’. So I usually take that into every season I go into,” the 37-year-old said in an interview on Sept 17.
Pamela would wake him up at 6am to practise with him before he went to school. In a previous interview, McGee recalled how his mum even made him run in the snow once after a poor practice session.
But such a regime kept him away from complacency and laid the foundation for a successful career in which he bagged three NBA titles – two with the Golden State Warriors (2017, 2018) and one with the Los Angeles Lakers (2020).
He also won an Olympic gold in 2021, etching his family’s name in history as the first mother and son duo to win the Games’ greatest prize.
JaVale McGee recalls having “a fun childhood”, with not much pressure growing up.
ST PHOTO: BRIAN TEO
The work ethic was something that Pamela herself embodied as a single mother. After being a two-time National Collegiate Athletic Association champion in 1983 and 1984, she explored opportunities abroad and played for teams in Brazil, Spain and Italy.
She also had to navigate single motherhood on foreign soil, without child support from McGee’s father.
But she made sure to provide for McGee, who recalls having “a fun childhood” with not much pressure growing up.
He said: “I definitely had fun. I was one of those kids that my mother said I had to do it (and) I just did it, I just went with the flow, as long as it wasn’t hurting me.
“(I was) always playing basketball. That’s a childhood memory in itself, and (I remember) my mother always being there, cheering me on or telling me what I’m doing right or what I’m doing wrong.”
Asked if there was pressure to perform, he added: “I wouldn’t say there’s pressure at all. If anything, it was easier to move into it (a basketball career) just because I had seen someone else do it.”
In the 2008 NBA Draft, McGee was selected 18th overall by the Washington Wizards, before moving to the Denver Nuggets, Philadelphia 76ers and Dallas Mavericks.
After winning back-to-back NBA titles with the Warriors, he joined the Lakers, where he earned another championship playing alongside LeBron James.
He had further stints with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Phoenix Suns and Sacramento Kings, before winning the 2025 Puerto Rican championship with Vaqueros de Bayamon and being named the Defensive Player of the Year.
In August, he joined Australian National Basketball League (NBL) side Illawarra Hawks, who are in Singapore for the six-team ICC, in which the club champions of the five continental confederations and a team from the NBA G League will compete for honours at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
McGee said: “I haven’t played a game (with the Hawks) yet, but the accommodations are really nice in Australia and the food is amazing, kind of too good, I hope I don’t gain too much weight.”
The Hawks are in Group B of the ICC and will face South American champions Flamengo (Brazil) on Sept 19, before taking on NBA G League United the following day. Group A comprises African champions Alahli SC (Libya), European and defending champions Unicaja (Spain) and Asian champions Utsunomiya Brex (Japan).
The group winners will qualify for the final, with the second-placed teams vying for third place and the bottom sides heading to the fifth-place play-off.
Asked about his experience of being a champion, McGee said: “The NBA titles are No. 1, just because you have the most elite players in the most elite competition in the world.
“But I’ve always set my goal to win wherever I go, so it will be an honour to win a championship in the NBL also.
“We definitely have an opportunity (here in Singapore). You never know what’ll happen, but I believe our team definitely has as much of a chance as anybody.”
