The NBA Cares Award is regarded as one of the highest honors an NBA player can receive because nominees have dedicated their basketball career to a greater calling. They are champions both on and off the court.
“As soon as JaVale settled in, he was ready to jump into community events and learn about different organizations,” said Hannah Sherertz, Dallas Mavs Director of Corporate Social Responsibility.
“He wanted to learn about different schools in the area to determine how he could make an impact in Dallas on the court and in his new community as well.”
McGee hit the ground running in October, serving at two events with the Mavs, bringing hope to children and students. He spoke to DISD middle schoolers to welcome them back to school and hosted a Jr. NBA Clinic with teammate Josh Green. McGee also joined the Mavs Foundation in raising $200,000 at the team’s annual Toast to Tipoff.
Furthermore, he enthusiastically visited with Mavs’ sponsors at the team’s annual Mavs Masters. Team executives said he was the last to leave and wanted to meet every sponsor and participant.
McGee has long been committed to the community during his 15 seasons in the league.
He said that community outreach is essential to him and his family.
“As soon as I get to a city, I try to figure out where the need is, and what can I do for others,” McGee said.
In early October, McGee joined the Mavs to surprise students at a Dallas ISD middle school to celebrate the franchise’s donations of school supplies and backpacks. McGee and fellow teammate Dāvis Bertāns first addressed students at a pep rally before visiting eighth graders in the classroom.
“We’re extremely blessed to be able to donate to you guys,” McGee told sixth graders at a pep rally. “We’re very excited to be here. We want you guys to stay in school. Education is critical. Stay in your books. I’m really excited to come out, along with my teammate Dāvis. This is amazing.”
McGee was back in the community two weeks later at the Jr. NBA Clinic.
Sherertz: “Youth in Dallas are lucky to have JaVale back. Throughout the Jr. NBA clinic, he was joining kids one-on-one – taking particular interest in some high school students there. The students were on their freshman high school teams and aspire to make their school proud this season and take back some of the tips they received from JaVale.”
McGee has a heart for children in under-resourced communities. In 2013, he established his foundation, JUGLIFE, to address water-related crises worldwide.
This past June, he held his sixth annual Water For Life charity softball game, with numerous superstars from around the league joining the fun.
McGee is happy to have a do-over in a Dallas, a city he grew to love in 2015.
“It’s a great city,” he said. “One thing I did love about Dallas when I was here the last time was the city is great, great weather, great people. I love the southern hospitality, and also just basketball-wise.”
The 18th overall pick of the 2008 NBA Draft by the Washington Wizards, McGee got a taste of basketball at an early age. His mom, Pam McGee, won NCAA national titles at USC in 1983 and ’84 — with her twin sister, Paula, and Cheryl Miller.
Drafted in the 1997 WNBA Draft by the Sacramento Monarchs, Pam McGee went on to help the United States win a gold medal in 1984. Fast forward 37 years later, JaVale helped the United States win a gold medal in 2021 in Tokyo.
“It’s an amazing feat that I don’t think she ever thought could happen,” McGee said of also winning a medal. “I never thought it could happen either, especially 37 years later, which is crazy.
“I’m just grateful that my mother could lay those bricks, could be the bricklayer for her family, her legacy. And now my sister is in the WNBA, I’m clearly in the NBA and I’ve won a gold medal after her. The McGee family, the McGee brand just continues to grow.”
McGee is the first son of a WNBA player to play in the NBA. Meanwhile, McGee’s sister, Imani McGee-Stafford, was the Big 12 co-Defensive Player of the Year in 2016 while playing for Texas. She also was the 10th overall pick of the 2016 WNBA Draft by the Chicago Sky, made the WNBA all-rookie team and played for the Dallas Wings in 2019.
Back in 2013, McGee, then a member of the Denver Nuggets, began reading up on the importance of hydration. He discovered that most people, athletes included, need to drink more water.
“I was just trying to get as healthy as possible,” McGee said. “So I dedicated myself to drinking a gallon of water daily.”
He shared his plan with fans, posting pictures on Instagram with the hashtag #JUGLIFE. It was just something random he invented, but it caught on quickly, motivating others to chase the same goal. Seeing this positive response, JaVale decided to take it a step further.
His close friend and business partner, Kez Reed, had the idea of selling hoodies, t-shirts and beanies to expand awareness and raise money. In a short period, JUGLIFE transformed from a simple word scribbled on the side of a plastic container to a full-blown non-profit.
“The goal of the JUGLIFE foundation originally was to inform people about the importance of drinking water and the good qualities that come with it,” explained McGee. “Millions of kids in America are dehydrated or even obese from a lack of water. So many things go into hydration that people don’t think about. There’s so much stuff that you can solve by just drinking water alone.”
He’s also an outspoken vegan and credits food discipline for helping him shed a ton of weight. He’s lost 25 pounds since the last time he played for the Mavericks. This time around, things are much different.
“I have a different mindset as a three-time NBA champion, one-time Olympic gold medalist,” McGee said. “I just have a winning mindset. All I want to do is win. That’s all I want to do. I don’t care about anything else. I want to help my team win and do what I can do and bring a championship to Dallas.”
The Dallas Mavs are thrilled to have McGee back. He’s making a difference in the lives of people all over the world.
Sherertz: “The Mavericks look forward to future events with JaVale as a power player in the Dallas community. We are confident he will stay busy during the holiday season with Thanksgiving giveaways, holiday surprises and much more coming from the Mavs big man.”
Story: Tamara Jolee, Dallas Mavs
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