2 years ago
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SAITAMA, Japan — OK, truthful I’m ne'er going to beryllium an astronaut oregon President of the United States. But is it excessively precocious for maine to beryllium JaVale McGee erstwhile I turn up?
Not to suggest McGee leads a charmed life, but a dude known arsenic Big Daddy Wookie has earned himself 3 title rings portion being paid much than $65 cardinal during 13 seasons of traveling archetypal people successful the NBA.
Not excessively shabby, eh? Beats working, if you inquire me.
Then, portion lounging connected his sofa this summer, not agelong aft collecting particulate connected the Nuggets seat during the playoffs, McGee got a telephone from Team USA, asking if he’d beryllium funny successful panning for golden astatine the Olympics.
It took him possibly 1.2 seconds to say: Yes!
“I’m successful the Olympics. It’s a large feeling,” McGee said Saturday aft Team USA routed the Czech Republic 119-84 and precocious to the tournament’s knockout round. “I didn’t truly recognize what this acquisition was until I got retired here. I’m gladsome I got this acquisition first-hand alternatively of conscionable watching (the Olympics) connected TV. Way cooler than I thought.”
But portion successful Japan, McGee’s thoughts are ne'er acold from home. He’s a escaped agent. He needs a job.
“I deliberation astir it each day,” McGee told me. “But I’m successful a blessed position. I’m 3 championships in. I could perchance get a golden medal. I mean, I don’t cognize however overmuch much resume you need. I enactment highly hard, and I’m a helluva player. I spell successful each time with that mindset, nary substance however galore radical uncertainty maine oregon consciousness a definite mode astir me.”
So I felt compelled to inquire McGee: After his little stint with the Nuggets, would helium see returning to Denver?
“Yeah .. definitely,” McGee replied. “All I privation to bash is win. Win and supply for my family. Those are my 2 main concerns.”
OK, anybody retired determination who had McGee arsenic the Nuggets subordinate astir apt to triumph an Olympic medal successful 2021, delight place yourself, due to the fact that I could usage a fewer banal tips.
Nobody? That’s what I thought.
But cognize what’s adjacent crazier than McGee getting a telephone retired of the bluish to articulation Team USA aft Kevin Love backed retired successful the 11th hour? A feline who couldn’t get disconnected Denver’s seat successful the playoffs is seeing much important clip connected the tribunal with Kevin Durant, Damian Lillard and a formed of NBA all-stars astatine the Olympics.
Durant scored 23 to pb the rout of the Czech Republic. McGee, however, tallied 10 points during 4 minutes of the 4th quarter, aft immoderate uncertainty was removed regarding the outcome. But don’t telephone it garbage time, due to the fact that McGee is having mode excessively overmuch fun.
“A golden repast would mean everything to me,” McGee said. “My parent already has one. To adhd different medal to the McGee bequest would beryllium amazing.”
Back successful the day, Pamela McGee was a back-to-back champion astatine the University of Southern California alongside Cheryl Miller. The 2 USC alums teamed up again to triumph Olympic golden successful 1984, 4 years earlier Pam gave commencement to JaVale.
Now 58 years old, she’s understandably arrogant of a lad and girl who play hoops professionally. And, yes, this feisty parent inactive gives beingness and hoops proposal to her grown kids astir each day, whether via substance oregon video call.
“She ever talks about: ‘Yeah, y’all truly not doing thing until you get the championship,” McGee recalled past week, earlier Team USA opened the tourney with a stunning nonaccomplishment to France. “Then I got the title (two with Golden State, 1 with the Lakers, for those keeping people astatine home), and she’s like: ‘You don’t person the golden medal.’ Now I person the accidental to get a golden medal. It volition beryllium amazing.”
NBA escaped bureau officially opens Monday. Let’s anticipation Tim Connelly and the Nuggets person already been chatting with McGee’s representatives. He’d beryllium a good mode to assistance with load absorption of reigning MVP Nikola Jokic’s minutes. If the money’s right, McGee would besides forgive manager Michael Malone for ignoring him during the playoffs until the Nuggets were connected the verge of getting swept by Phoenix.
“It was a chill experience,” McGee said of rejoining the Nuggets, which besides employed him aboriginal successful his pro career. “Obviously, I privation I could’ve played more. I consciousness similar I truly could’ve helped the squad spell further successful the playoffs. But I’m not the coach, truthful I can’t spell retired and unit myself to play. I respect everybody’s determination and everything they do.
“I cognize what benignant of subordinate I americium and what I bring to a team. I effort to marque definite I’m ever bringing that bully vigor and seasoned leadership. My enactment ethic’s amazing. There’s thing I tin bash astir (not playing). All I tin bash is spell retired determination and bash my job.”
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