McGee using his platform as an NBA player to expand his brand

FRISCO – Like a lot of folks of his ilk, JaVale McGee isn’t just a player in the National Basketball Association.

Just like his gigantic 7-6 wingspan, McGee’s talents are far-reaching. So much so that the Dallas Mavericks’ 7-foot center is also a record producer who produced a song name Available on Justin Bieber’s album — Changes – that was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2021 in the Best Pop Vocal Album category.

“That was pretty cool,” McGee told Mavs.com. “Just that experience and being able to use my connections to make that happen was definitely a blessing.

“I’ve met (Bieber) a couple of times, and it was through his main writer, Poo Bear, who I’ve known for maybe 10 years now. I was just in a session with (Bieber) and we were making music, writing the song and then he hit me up a couple of months later with the song finished and was like, ‘This is going on the album.’ I was just like, ‘Wow! This is a crazy concept.’ “

As far back as he can remember, McGee has always had a fascination with music. He even released a self-titled album in 2018, and also owns a studio in Inglewood, Calif.

“I mean, I’ve got some songs,” McGee said. “I don’t know if I’m going to put them out this year, but I plan on it — I can say that much.

“But people don’t understand the life of a producer isn’t really just giving artist beats and calling it a day. It’s more about your relationships and getting in those doors and meeting the right people to get your songs placed or to place it on the right radar. That’s basically how it works.”

In addition to basketball and music, McGee started the Juglife Foundation 10 years ago. That’s an organization that brings awareness of hydration and drinking water. The Juglife Foundation has partnered with Hope 4 Kids International in building wells in Uganda.

In other words, McGee is using his enormous platform as an NBA player to reach out and help others who otherwise don’t have the opportunities that he has. He refuses to be placed in a box when there are so many other opportunities available for him to pursue.

“It’s definitely important to expand your brand,” McGee said. “Yes, you’re a basketball player and everybody knows you as a basketball player. But there’s so much more that you can do and people want you to do. All you have to do is just open your mouth and communicate with people and just be curious.

“They say curiosity killed the cat, but I don’t feel like that’s a real saying. I feel like curiosity really is one of the leading causes of falling into something you didn’t even know was possible. So just ask questions and try to figure out different ways to make things happen.”

McGee’s mother – Pam McGee – is an example of making things happen. An accomplished basketball player, Pam and her twin sister, Paula, won a pair of high school state championships at Northern Flint High School in Michigan.

Pam and Paula then joined Cheryl Miller — the sister of former NBA superstar Reggie Miller – and Cynthia Cooper and captured back-to-back NCAA titles at the University of Southern California in 1983 and ’84. Pam McGee also was a member of the United States women’s basketball team that won a gold medal in the 1984 Olympics. In addition, Pam McGee was a high school academic All-American, set the Michigan high school state shot put record, and was a college All-American basketball player.

In fact, after starting her pro basketball career with the Dallas Diamonds of the Women’s American Basketball Association in 1984, Pam McGee also played pro basketball in France, Italy and Brazil, and was chosen by the Sacramento Monarchs as the No. 2 overall pick of the 1997 WNBA Draft at the tender age of 35.

“The fact that she was staying in shape and actually still playing basketball at a high level that whole time overseas at age 35, that’s a crazy concept,” JaVale McGee said. “And this is before you could go get you a physical therapist and before you had your personal trainers and nice stuff and hot tub everywhere. It’s really inspirational.”

McGee, 35, can’t even imagine doing what his mom did and jumping into a new league at his current age. Thus, he’s thoroughly impressed what his mom was able to achieve and the impact she had on the game of basketball.

“You’ve been a pro your whole life and it’s your first year in a new league at 35?,” McGee rhetorically asked. “Yeah, that’s crazy. And it’s something that you don’t even know if it’s going to work.”

What ultimately happened is when McGee was drafted No. 18 overall in the first round by the Washington Wizards in 2008, he became the first son of a WNBA player to play in the NBA. That history-making moment was not lost on McGee, who said: “I mean, it’s definitely an honor.

“My mother was a bridge layer for my family when it comes to successful basketball, and just being able to follow her steps and do what she’s done — and even more — is amazing. I hope one of my kids, one of my daughters, are able to do the same and continue the legacy.”

When JaVale McGee helped the USA win an Olympic gold medal in 2021 in Tokyo, that legacy in his family reached new heights as he and his mother became the first mother-son duo to win gold medals in Olympic history.

For McGee, that legacy also includes him winning three NBA championships, including back-to-back titles in 2017 and ’18 with the Golden State Warriors, and another one with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020. So, McGee was asked which back-to-back championships are more impressive – the one his mom won at USC or the one he captured with the Warriors?

“I can’t really compare just because women’s basketball wasn’t as popular back then,” he said. “So, I feel like hers was a little bit more impactful on the brand of women’s basketball than mine was on one of the top teams in the NBA at the time.

“When you look at that, you’re like, ‘OK you’re supposed to win. You’re playing for the Warriors at that time. You guys were an amazing team.’ But girls getting college scholarships wasn’t really as popular as it is now either, so I just feel like hers is a little bit more historical.”

Entering the second year of a three-year contract, McGee believes his championship experience can help be the gateway and possibly propel the Mavs to another NBA title.

“I can teach them a lot in the aspect of just the camaraderie that the team needs to be, the pace the team needs to play at, the way the team needs to be in sync with each other – coaches, players and the staff,” McGee said. “From the front office all the way to the ball boy, everybody needs to be locked in on the same goal of winning the championship.”

On Wednesday, McGee attended the Mavs Academy Hoop Camp at Trenton Middle School in Frisco. And from the time he walked in the gym, he was locked in on making sure every camper was focused on the message he was trying to convey.

“I love showing up for the kids and just trying to be inspirational,” McGee said. “I’m just bringing that great happy-go-lucky energy, and hopefully they bring the same energy to me and it’s an even exchange of positive energy.”

Twitter: @DwainPrice