JaVale McGee’s basketball career has been revitalized with the Golden State Warriors this season, but he almost had to take his talents to China instead for his next stop.
In a feature from Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated earlier this week, McGee revealed that he received offers from just two NBA teams this past offseason and an offer to play in China that he “seriously considered.” The first NBA offer was a guaranteed one from a non-playoff team that McGee declined to identify, and the second was a non-guaranteed offer for the veteran’s minimum from the Warriors. He ultimately accepted the latter.
Mostly seen as a volatile underachiever whose reputation for knuckleheaded plays preceded him, McGee found a home in Golden State this season, feeding off their impeccable floor spacing, ball movement, and team defense to make a positive impact as a rim-runner, a restricted-area lurker, and a shot-changer. The former first-rounder may still have a habit of making headlines for all the wrong reasons, but it’s safe to say McGee found the perfect basketball situation just when it looked like he might be out of the NBA altogether.
