In 2021, Javale McGee stoked controversy during a joint interview alongside his mother Pamela after returning home following Team USA’s gold medal win at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. In an AMA segment, he was asked whether he enjoyed playing more with LeBron James or his time with Stephen Curry was better. He responded that he cherished being the Lakers superstar’s teammate more, which caused an uproar.
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Three years later, the former Warriors and Lakers center finally clarified why he picked James over Curry during an appearance on Dwight Howard’s Above the Rim podcast. He claimed he didn’t aim to disparage the guard as a teammate and his statement was taken out of context.
He explained that since his role with the Lakers was better than with the Warriors, he relished his time with them more. McGee said,
“I liked playing on the Lakers more than I played on the Warriors because I was the starting Center and I had more touches, I had more time, I had more impact on the game. I played like 8 minutes a game when I was on the Warriors.”
The veteran center added that the Warriors gave him minimal playing time and only wanted him to protect or attack the rim while on the court, which wasn’t an exciting role. He said,
“I was just catching lobs and running the floor. I barely worked out with the Warriors, I was just doing conditioning, hella conditioning, and practice. If I shoot a jump shot, they taking me the f**k out.”
McGee’s reasoning holds a lot of weight. The Lakers entrusted him to do much more than the Warriors, which was a welcome change and brought the best out of him.
JaVale McGee thrived on the Lakers
McGee played for the Warriors from 2016 to 2018. During his tenure with the team, he averaged just over nine minutes per game and started only 27 out of the 142 matches he played. He did win two rings but wasn’t too pleased about his playing time.
The Lakers came calling and asked the veteran if he was interested in becoming the team’s new starting center. He pounced at the opportunity and had the best season of his career. He started in 62 out of 75 games and averaged a career-high 12 points per game along with 7.5 rebounds and two blocks per game. However, the Lakers couldn’t make the playoffs.
During the 2019-20 season, his playing time dropped from 23.3 minutes on average to 16.6 as the Lakers ran a two-pronged approach with the center position after signing Dwight Howard. McGee started 68 games, but his numbers went down to 6.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game.
That’s why he specified in the AMA that he relished his first season with the Lakers more than his time with the Warriors. He won three rings in four seasons between 2016 and 2020, but his most fulfilling campaign in that span was the year his team didn’t even make the playoffs.
