It was a simple question, and 13-year veteran JaVale McGee gave a simple reply, as was his want and in keeping with his character. “I would probably say LeBron the first year I was on the Lakers,” he said. Seemingly nothing out of the ordinary, and innocent enough in response to an entry on the Ask Me Anything session hosted by Bleacher Report over the weekend. In an era where social media reigns and even pregnant pauses are parsed for messages, however, his punctuation-free answer showed legs due as much to the candor it reflected as to the controversy it generated.
Perhaps the query was, as McGee noted in the face of the ensuing interest, “click bate (sic) [that] skew[ed] the narrative.” After all, it asked him, “Who did you enjoy playing with more: LeBron or Steph?” Then again, the fact that he took the bait is on him, and him alone. Given his active presence on Twitter and Instagram, he should have known that his answer — any answer, really — would hog headlines. Never mind that he made a distinct qualification that ties it to the 2018-19 season, when he notably posted career-high stats.
That McGee would choose his experience as a Laker at a time when the franchise failed to even make the playoffs speaks volumes of his mind-set. He played with James anew the following year, which ended with him grasping the Larry O’Brien Trophy in the bubble. And he played with Curry the previous two years, which likewise yielded titles. Clearly, he paid significance to the extent of his contributions on the court, the outcomes notwithstanding.
For the record, McGee touched on a variety of subjects during the AMA also graced by Hall of Famer Pam McGee in recognition of their status as the first mother-son pair to bring home Olympic gold medals. At one point, he noted that the Warriors “do it right. They make it feel like family. They make sure everything is ok at home and good with you. Outside of basketball, they’re really meticulous about things like that, so I think that’s why they had so much success.” In other words, he enjoyed his time in yellow and blue, thank you very much.
In any case, McGee views neither James nor Curry as the most influential player in his career. He disclosed that he considers Andre Iguodala to be his “biggest mentor;” his Warriors teammate, he said, “taught me to be more of a professional when it comes to not just basketball, but investing and off-the-court things. He really helped me.” And just so it’s clear to all and sundry, he tweeted video of himself acknowledging that he’s “blessed. Can’t complain about a damn thing, man.” Enough said.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, oprerations and Human Resources management, corporate communications, and business development.
