The Golden State Warriors have helped change the reputation of a number of NBA players, including JaVale McGee.
Once somewhat of an NBA laughingstock thanks to his numerous appearances on Shaquille O’Neal’s humorous “Shaqtin’ a Fool” segments on “NBA on TNT,” McGee became a respectable big man during his two seasons with the Warriors.
“Going to Golden State was definitely a blessing for me. It was life-changing of course, winning championships. But just behind the scenes was life-changing for me too,” McGee said during a September 2021 appearance on “Club Shay Shay,” the podcast of former NFL star Shannon Sharpe.
McGee: Warriors ‘a Player’s Team’
Before signing with the Warriors in 2016, McGee, a 7-foot center, played most of his career with the Washington Wizards and Denver Nuggets, where so many of his on-court miscues were spotlighted on “Shaqtin’ a Fool” that he was named “Shaqtin’ a Fool” MVP two times and bestowed a lifetime “achievement” award in 2014.
McGee credited the Warriors with changing his career.
“Seeing how a real organization works and how they take care of their players. The players really run what goes on. It’s not just: OK, the coach tells you to do something and you do it. And with my first two teams … that’s how it was ran,” McGee, 34, said. “It doesn’t matter what the players want, but with Golden State, the players have the loudest voices in the gym … The way that organization was set up is they were definitely a player’s team.”
After his two seasons in Golden State, McGee played two seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, where he’d become the starting center in 2019-20. Last season, for the Phoenix Suns, McGee contributed by averaging 9.2 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. His play made him a sought-after free agent, and he signed with the Dallas Mavericks on July 10. Jason Kidd has already named him a starter.
What McGee learned in his time with the Warriors has helped him be a meaningful addition to other teams and he credits Golden State for helping there as well.
“Being in Golden State and seeing a real winning organization and how it’s ran was amazing, and every place I went to after that I got to take that piece with me and add it to another team,” McGee said. “It’s definitely a difference in championship teams and championship organizations than teams that are just playing for the lottery every year.
Warriors’ Championship Mindset
McGee also had major praise for the mindset of the Warriors and how that contributes to the winning culture in Golden State.
“Day one: ‘We’re winning a championship’ and that was the mindset,” McGee said. It wasn’t: ‘No, we’re making the playoffs.’ It was always a championship. Just the way that that team and organization takes care of the players, the players families, the players friends is definitely necessary on a winning organization.”
McGee isn’t the only one who benefited from the Warriors culture. The franchise made Nick Young an NBA champion and helped Mo Speights become a fan favorite. It also changed the career of Gary Payton II. Last offseason, he was a veteran playing on Golden State’s summer league team. He eventually earned a 10-day contract, which led to another and a contract for the remainder of the season. Last week, he signed a three-year, $28 million contract with the Portland Trail Blazers.
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JaVale McGee Shares Strong Feelings on His Time With the Warriors