Former Lakers Championship Center Signs With Surprise Team

After 16 seasons in the NBA, three-time NBA Champion Javale McGee is making a move overseas. McGee won two titles with the Golden State Warriors in 2017 and 2018, following that up as the starting center during the Los Angeles Lakers‘ run to the 2020 championship.

Australia’s National Basketball League announced that McGee has signed with the Illawarra Hawks. The team has featured multiple former and current NBA players, including LaMelo Ball, who played for them before he was drafted in 2020. 

“THIS FRIDAY NIGHT KEEPS GETTING BETTER,” the NBL wrote in a post on X. “Three-time NBA Champion JaVale McGee has officially signed a one-year deal with the @illawarrahawks.”

Though McGee is not retired, he expects to be done playing in the NBA. During his time in the league, he averaged 7.6 points, five rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game across 16 seasons on nine different teams. He last played for the Sacramento Kings in the 2023-24 season. 

McGee Ends As A 3x Champ

While some might remember McGee as a two-time MVP of Shaquille O’Neal’s ‘Shaqtin a Fool‘ series, the center made a major impact in the league. After spending the first seven years of his career on the Philadelphia 76ers and Denver Nuggets, McGee signed with the Warriors in 2016. 

In Golden State, the center was a key defensive piece for a team featuring Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, and Draymond Green. The Warriors won titles in 2017 and 2018, with McGee giving high praise to the franchise and how they treat players. 

“The brotherhood that I felt, the energy, the way the Warriors organization treats their players,” McGee said on The Draymond Green Show in 2023. “ I had been to three, four teams; the Warriors, by far – still to this day – treat their players the best out of anybody.”

McGee then arrived in Los Angeles, the same year LeBron James signed with the Lakers. In 2019, L.A. acquired Anthony Davis and went on to win the 2020 NBA championship that season. Though he recorded a career-high 12 points per game in his first year with the Lakers, their championship season in 2019-20 was McGee’s first year starting in every single game he played. 

During his stint with the Lakers, James mentioned that McGee should have been in the running for Defensive Player of the Year. 

Lakers Could Use A Player Like McGee Now

After the blockbuster trade that saw the Lakers trade Davis for Luka Doncic, Los Angeles has needed a rim-protecting big man like McGee. They signed Deandre Ayton over the summer and remain linked to other centers, though they have yet to add any others this offseason. 

McGee previously played with Doncic on the Dallas Mavericks during the 2023-24 season, but the fact that he signed with an Australian team likely means the Lakers had no true interest.

Surprisingly, Dallas still owes McGee money from the three-year $17 million deal he signed with them in 2022. The Mavericks waived and stretched his contract in 2023, and they will continue to pay him $2.2 million per year until 2028. 

Despite not landing a job in the NBA, specifically on a Lakers team that has been desperate for a center, McGee heads to the NBL. In a statement made by the team, they expressed their enthusiasm for signing the three-time champ. 

“Adding JaVale McGee to our program is a game-changer,” Hawks General Manager Mat Campbell said. “His leadership, athleticism, and championship mentality will elevate our group and energize the Illawarra community. The signing of JaVale reinforces the club’s commitment to sustained success and global recognition.”