By now it’s no longer a secret that JaVale McGee was born to be a basketball player, after the Nevada sophomore center became the first son of a WNBA player to be chosen in last week’s NBA draft.
He may have also been destined to be a Washington Wizard, who selected him with the 18th pick.
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“When wefound out that we were coming to the Wizards, I was so happy that it was [head coach] Eddie [Jordan] because I played with the [Sacramento] Monarchs when Eddie was with Kings,” said Pamela McGee following her son’s introduction by the Wizards on Monday at Verizon Center. “I used to always admire him because as a head coach, he would be after practice working out rookies. You hardly ever see that in the NBA.”
The younger McGee, 20, is Jordan’s newest seven-foot project. JaVale McGee said he began playing basketball “out of the womb,” and it wasn’t long until he was on the sideline for his mother’s games in Italy.
“He sat in the stroller on the bench with the nanny,” said Pamela McGee, who played for Southern California and was a member of the 1984 U.S. Olympic team. “Literally, he’s been around the game since he was 9 months old.”
“His mother I’ve known for a long time,” said Jordan. “He’s going to have a great support system. Everything is in line for him.”
Wizards president Ernie Grunfeld said his staff judged JaVale McGee solely on his individual talent, but the family history certainly helps.
“It’s a good thing that he comes from a basketball environment, where people cared about the game, and he went to practices and watched the hard work,” said Grunfeld. “Obviously, his mother didn’t become an All-American and an outstanding professional without working hard and having a great work ethic. He grew up in that environment. He knows what it takes.”
